“This is our house, this is our country. Here we are masters here we are sovereign and with the full weight of that sovereignty we must now put an end to this disrespect to this chance-taking to this new age slavery” were the words stated with authority by Prime Minster Dean Barrow who introduced the Bill for an Act to Amended the Belize Telecommunications Act to provide for assumption of control over telecommunications by the Government in the public interest. 
 
The Bill which was seen for the first time Monday morning by members of the House of Representative due to the urgency of the situation went through its three readings that day. The Senate debated the matter on Tuesday and by the close of business it

While this decision by the Barrow Administration will be talked about and debated for some time, the Prime Minister in his address made known the reason and need for such a decisive intervention when he said: 

“Let no one confuse or misunderstand our purpose. This is not ideology, this is not triumphalism. This is a country in particular circumstances reaching the end of its patience and doing a singular, necessary, righteous thing to protect its national interest. It is not part of any pattern, part of no new philosophy. It is plain and simple a special measure for a special case. We make no apologies for it, but we also do not seek to elevate it. As must be clear from the developments in even the global bastions of super capitalism and private property, this is what countries do to protect themselves. It is an article of faith and a cardinal rule of statecraft that a nation will act in any way necessary to preserve its national interest. That national interest, in these circumstances, now absolutely demands our present course of action.” 

 The Act clearly ensures compliance with the Constitution and offers a mechanism for “reasonable compensation” within a reasonable time to the former owners and a means to challenge the passage of the Act through the courts. 

Prime Minister Barrow also addressed some of the immediate actions and consequences that naturally follow the passage of the Bill.  These are: 

1. By an Order under the hand of the Minister of Telecommunications the Government has acquired 94% of Telemedia that is controlled by the Ashcroft interests.  Therefore the other shareholders of the remaining 6% have nothing to fear;  

2. The Minister of Telecommunications by the same order has appointed an eight member Board of Directors to deal with the company’s affairs.

3. As soon as is practicable there will be an extraordinary meeting of the new BTL board and the new Articles of Association will be adopted, which in essence will be the originally used articles which established the privatized BTL in 1988.  

4. These re-introduced articles will bring back the safeguards to protect Belizean shareholders and the provision of a “special share” and the limitation on single ownership in the company.  

5. A new feature of the articles is that it will guarantee that dividends will be paid to shareholders at the rate of 40% of the yearly profits.  

6. A prospectus will be prepared and published and Belizean investors will be invited to purchase shares.  

7. NO employee will be victimized and they will all keep their jobs.  

8. The present industrial grievances will be resolved as quickly as possible – with prompt attention being given to the arbitration case of the dismissed workers.
 
9. There will be no disruption of services and as soon as possible improved services and rates will be implemented.
 
In addressing the House, Prime Minister Barrow made it clear that efforts had been made to settle all disputes with the majority owners of Telemedia and thus would have preferred to “take the path of least resistance” but the then owners of Telemedia, Michael Ashcroft group of companies, “as they have repeatedly demonstrated, will stop at nothing to frustrate the business of governance in this country; and will act with every resource at their command to thwart the interest and legitimate aspirations of the Belizean people”.

In the public’s interest, it is now clear that one of the greatest benefits to this acquisition is that it brings to an end what Barrow calls “this new age slavery”.  The move it is also hoped will bring to an end awards of Telemedia against the Government of Belize; it ends “debilitating waste of government’s energies and resources; and the people of Belize will no longer suffer under “this one man’s campaign to subjugate an entire nation to his will”.