Opposition lashes out against nationalization of Telemedia

While they did not vote in unison, the opposition People’s United Party has reacted to Monday’s takeover of Belize Telemedia by the government. A release this evening says that “the right of citizens to own or to hold private property is a hallmark of our democracy.” According to the P.U.P., the prime minister spoke of strategic investors but did not offer any indication of who these interests are and their relationship to the U.D.P. Says the P.U.P. “The acquisition of public property from one entity to sell to another cannot be seen in the public interest. The recent action by the Prime Minister and his government is contrary to the public interest, since it has already started to raise the level of uncertainty and will affect the investment climate and further erode investor confidence.”
The P.U.P. also questions how the government will pay the cost of such expropriation and in what timeframe. The P.U.P. says it is a high handed and undemocratic manner in which the amendment was passed and that it did not have time for a clear examination of the bill prior to its introduction and calls on the government to cease acting in this manner, which is contrary to our democratic practice.