Senator Godwin Hulse concerned about Nationalization Bill
Still on the biggest story so far, in the Senate today, the vote was not unanimous on the Telecommunications Act. Nine senators supported the bill, none were against, two abstained and one member was absent. Senator Godwin Hulse, representing the business community objected to the Accommodation Agreement but said that it is no secret that he has concerns about the bill.
Godwin Hulse, Senator
“My problem with the bill, however, is that it’s all-encompassing, it’s too wide. It catches all public utility providers. I could have simply demanded it stayed in the Committee, but I understand the urgency, so I have requested an Amendment to the bill so that the other public utility providers are not nervous. And I listed all of them: electricity, water and all the other ones like Belcogen of which I sit as a board member. So that is of concern to me. Also of concern to me is the fact that it talks about possession without the details of what that entails. So if they, in the future, come up with five or six other telecom providers, they could be nervous that hey, suppose this happens to me. You have to spell out exactly what you mean, and that needs to happen in another bill or an S.I. But the most fundamental thing to my mind is to ensure that in the future the government cannot do what it did. We must understand that B.T.L. could be looked at in a way, by some, by some, the victim. They were just beneficiaries, as any businessman, of a runaway government. We elected a government to preserve and protect our interests. I was in a meeting yesterday with my Chamber colleagues and the issue and the concerns centered around the umbrella aspect, but it didn’t divorce it from the order which will be made. As you would note this morning, the Senate nor the House has not nationalized B.T.L. They created the enabling environment for the Minister to so do. That order still has to come. You’ll probably see it tomorrow.”
In terms of BTL attracting investors, Hulse says it is important for government to assure potential investors that it is not a blanket bill that was passed and that can be revoked.
