As the proposed merger and acquisition deal between Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Speednet moves into the national spotlight, sparking widespread public debate across Belize, one local elected official has openly acknowledged he cannot provide the clarity residents are demanding.
Devin Daly, the area representative for Belize’s Collet constituency and a sitting junior minister of state, confirmed this week that he was excluded from key Cabinet-level discussions regarding the proposed transaction and holds no decision-making position related to the deal. Speaking to reporters, Daly explained that junior ministers rotate in their attendance at Cabinet meetings, and he was not scheduled to participate when the BTL-Speednet acquisition was discussed. He also holds no seat on BTL’s board of directors, leaving him without any internal insight into the negotiations or terms of the proposed transaction.
Constituents across Collet have been raising questions about how the potential corporate deal could impact local telecommunications services, pricing, and employment, turning what began as an internal corporate transaction into a major topic of national public conversation. With public scrutiny of the proposal intensifying, residents have turned to their local elected representative for answers and context about the government’s position on the deal.
Daly emphasized that, to his knowledge, no final agreements have been formalized for the acquisition. The only formal step taken so far, he confirmed, has been an internal vote on the proposal at the BTL organizational level. Daly added that he agrees with constituents’ calls for greater transparency, noting that the entire country needs access to full, detailed information about the proposal before any elected official or member of the public can form a solid, informed judgment on the deal. This report is a transcribed excerpt from an evening television news broadcast, with any Kriol language statements standardized to written spelling for publication.