Barrow Says B.T.L./Smart Situation is a “Hot Mess”

Dean Barrow

B.T.L. was acquired under the Barrow Administration in August of 2009. Barrow has been heavily criticized for the price paid under his leadership to acquire the telecom giant.  Notwithstanding, under his leadership, B.T.L. enjoyed exclusivity with regards to government contracts.  So, it was no surprise when he decried the current administration’s decision to create a competitive playing field in the communications sector.

Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister

“Apologies to the few people who have in fact exerted that clip and circulated it on social media, and those who make so bold as to say Dean Barrow is proving to be a prophet, not so. I was no kind of a seer. That was obvious. It was obvious that was is now happening, would have happened. I don’t want to, I will not engage in any personal attack on the honorable Prime Minister. I will give him every respect. I will acknowledge that the office he holds demands, I know him personally, I actually consider him to be a friend so I have to be careful with what I am going to say. But, I must tell you, by way of speaking truth that I have to decry what is happening in terms of this out to do, this move to ultimately gut B.T.L. in favor of Smart Speed Net. B.T.L., whatever people might think of the way in which it was acquired, the nationalization, my own role in that, the fact that it was clearly bought, that acquisition cost us a great deal of money, B.T.L. is now and has been since the nationalization, a national asset, public asset, the government together with Social Security and the Central Bank are the owners for and un-behalf of the people of this Country, of B.T.L., Digi. You can’t consistently, with your obligation as a Stewart of the public trust, and of a public asset do what we see being done. That is deliberately undermining Digi, and people’s ownership of Digi, for Smart. That absolutely is not sitting well with people, and is complicated by the fact that honorable Prime Minister’s family are share holders, owners, perhaps principal owners of Smart. That is a hot mess right there.”