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  • KPS versterkt misdaadanalyse met Amerikaanse ondersteuning

    KPS versterkt misdaadanalyse met Amerikaanse ondersteuning

    On August 12, a five-day specialized data analysis training program for the Korps Politie Suriname (KPS) concluded with a certificate ceremony, marking a key milestone in the South American nation’s transition to modern, data-centered law enforcement. Developed to address gaps in how the Suriname Police Force collects and interprets crime data, the initiative aims to help officers deploy limited resources more strategically and target crime-fighting efforts more effectively.

    The training was delivered through a partnership between the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) under the U.S. Department of State, the Pan American Development Foundation, and the U.S. Embassy in Suriname. Participants included criminal intelligence analysts from KPS’s Criminal Information Service, alongside the force’s information and communications technology staff.

    Over the course of the program, attendees built practical skills in core tools including Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, alongside learning standardized practices for data validation and data visualization. The curriculum is designed to not only improve the accuracy of crime information recording but also enable systematic, repeatable analysis of emerging criminal trends.

    According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, upgrading KPS’s capacity for crime data collection, management, and analysis will empower police leadership to make more informed, evidence-based operational decisions. Enhanced data capabilities will also allow the force to allocate personnel and equipment to high-need areas more precisely, and track shifting crime patterns in real time. This aligns with the global shift toward data-driven policing, where decisions about patrol deployment, surveillance coverage, and anti-crime initiatives are shaped by empirical data rather than anecdotal observation.

    The closing certificate ceremony was attended by senior officials including U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Paul Watzlavick, Suriname’s Minister of Justice and Security Harish Monorath, and KPS Chief Melvin Pinas. This training is part of the broader Better Police Readiness in Caribbean Law Enforcement Organizations project, a regional initiative focused on supporting law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean to transition to modern, data-centric institutional structures that prioritize evidence-based decision-making.

    U.S. officials noted that the support initiative forms part of Washington’s broader commitment to strengthening law enforcement capacity across the Caribbean and improving public safety outcomes for local communities. The partnership reflects ongoing security cooperation between the United States and Caribbean nations to address shared transnational and domestic security challenges through capacity building and institutional modernization.

  • Ombudsman presses for clearer promotion rules, stronger complaint systems

    Ombudsman presses for clearer promotion rules, stronger complaint systems

    A damning new annual report from Barbados’ independent government watchdog has laid bare widespread public service dysfunction, revealing that complaints were filed against nearly two-thirds of all state agencies in 2025, prompting a series of urgent recommendations to overhaul accountability, transparency and service delivery across the civil service.

    Presenting his 2025 annual findings to Parliament, Ombudsman Rev Dr Nigel Taylor outlined that the scope of public dissatisfaction is far-reaching: official complaints were registered against 70 percent of all public service organizations in the country. While many agencies received only one or two grievances, nine departments attracted five or more formal complaints, with three agencies accounting for the bulk of concerns. The Barbados Revenue Authority topped the list with 43 complaints, followed closely by the National Insurance and Social Security Service (NISSS) with 33, and the Ministry of Education Transformation with 15. Other agencies with five or more complaints include the Barbados Police Service (11), Barbados Prison Service (7), People Resourcing and Compliance Barbados (7), Planning and Development Department (6), Grantley Adams International Airport (5), and the National Housing Corporation (5).

    As an independent statutory officer, the Ombudsman’s core mandate is to investigate grievances against government agencies and departments, facilitating fair and impartial resolution of disputes between members of the public and the state. In his report, Taylor emphasized that unaddressed public service inefficiencies pose more than just an inconvenience: they erode public trust in government, damage civil service staff morale, and create long-term risks to Barbados’ social, economic and political stability.

    To tackle these systemic issues, Taylor has put forward a targeted package of reforms, starting with a comprehensive public sector human resource audit. The audit will specifically examine patterns of unfair workplace practices, including unauthorized supercession, untransparent non-promotion decisions, and inconsistent grievance handling, with the stated goal of advancing enhanced human resource fairness across the civil service. Taylor also called on policymakers to improve transparency around promotion processes by requiring clearer communication of criteria to all staff, a step designed to reduce widespread perceptions of bias in career advancement.

    Central to Taylor’s recommendations is a push to embed accountability and transparency as core values of the civil service. One key proposal requires all public agencies to publish regular public reports that detail the volume of complaints received, the rate at which complaints are resolved, and the specific reform measures agencies have implemented to address recurring issues. Taylor also suggested adding structured citizen feedback mechanisms, such as regular client satisfaction surveys, to complement the complaint data collected by his office, giving the public more opportunities to weigh in on service quality.

    Taylor further recommended that the government strengthen existing legislative frameworks to enforce compliance with minimum service delivery standards, alongside building out more robust internal complaint resolution systems within agencies. He pointed to existing successful models already in use by high-complaint agencies: he proposed expanding dedicated communication channels across all major public bodies, modeled on NISSS’ established email update channel and the Barbados Revenue Authority’s dedicated team meetings to share Ombudsman case updates.

    The Ombudsman also called for systemic investment in institutional learning and professional development across the civil service. He urged policymakers to embed targeted training into the existing Performance Review and Development System (PRDS) to close documented performance and knowledge gaps among staff. Additionally, Taylor recommended cross-agency mapping of organizational mandates to create structured cross-training and knowledge-sharing opportunities, breaking down bureaucratic silos that hinder effective service delivery and foster institutional learning across the public sector.

    Finally, Taylor pushed for a widespread cultural shift toward greater public responsiveness across all government agencies. He called for regular joint review meetings between the Ombudsman’s office and agencies with the highest volumes of complaints, following the successful collaborative model already established with the Barbados Revenue Authority. He also insisted that the government operationalize formal public service charters that clearly outline citizen rights, agreed service standards, and agency obligations to the public. To improve access and efficiency, Taylor added that the government must expand and strengthen ongoing monitoring of e-governance platforms, which have become a primary channel for public service delivery in recent years.

    In closing his report, Taylor noted that the recommended reforms are designed to both advance and streamline public service delivery for all Barbadians, addressing systemic gaps that have contributed to widespread public dissatisfaction.

  • Environment : The climate injustice facing Haiti

    Environment : The climate injustice facing Haiti

    The stark contradiction at the heart of global climate inequality has been laid bare in Haiti, where a nation contributing almost nothing to global greenhouse gas emissions faces some of the deadliest consequences of the climate crisis. Speaking at an August 11 closing workshop in Port-au-Prince focused on advancing Haiti’s national climate commitments, Xavier Michon, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Haiti, spelled out the full scale of the climate injustice the Caribbean nation confronts. With Haiti responsible for just 0.02% of the world’s total historical greenhouse gas emissions, its outsized exposure to climate breakdown stands as one of the most glaring examples of global climate inequity today.

    While Haiti’s contribution to global warming remains negligible by any global measure, the impacts of the climate crisis are already accelerating and devastating across the country. The nation now faces increasingly powerful and destructive hurricanes, more frequent extreme flooding, prolonged crippling droughts, widespread agricultural losses that threaten food security, and billions in cumulative economic damage that has derailed long-term development efforts.

    Against this backdrop, investing in proactive climate disaster prevention is not an optional luxury for Haiti, but an urgent strategic priority, Michon argued. He reminded attendees of the proven cost-benefit of early action: every one dollar invested in risk reduction and prevention can avoid up to seven dollars in post-disaster recovery and economic losses, a ratio that makes proactive climate action one of the most impactful investments for vulnerable nations.

    For the past 18 months, Haiti’s Ministry of the Environment, UNDP, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) have collaborated on a targeted initiative to support Haiti in delivering on its existing Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) — the national climate action plan countries submit under the Paris Agreement. Beyond on-the-ground climate activities, the partnership focused on strengthening national institutional capacity, improving climate governance frameworks, and building an inclusive dialogue platform that brings together central government ministries, local government authorities, civil society organizations, private sector stakeholders, and international technical and financial partners.

    Through a series of national stakeholder consultations, targeted technical working workshops, and the completion of eight key strategic policy deliverables, the project has laid a more solid foundation for climate action that is more coherent, better coordinated across government and non-government actors, and far more effective in delivering tangible results on the ground.

    Marco Antonio Peñín Toledano, Spanish Ambassador to Haiti, emphasized that the lasting legacy of international climate support projects extends far beyond the initial funding mobilized. “The true legacy of a project lies not only in the funding mobilized, but also in the skills transferred, the institutions strengthened, and the partnerships that endure,” he noted during the workshop.

    Valéry Fils-Aimé, Haiti’s Minister of the Environment, called for global and national actors to turn formal climate commitments into tangible, on-the-ground results for Haitian communities. As Haiti begins work on developing its third iteration of national climate commitments, NDC 3.0, he stressed that stronger national ownership of climate action is critical to turning climate policy into a core driver of inclusive, long-term sustainable development for the country.

    Beyond the formal assessment of the 18-month project, the Port-au-Prince workshop brought a pressing global reality into sharp focus: for the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, climate justice requires more than just global recognition of their disproportionate vulnerability. It demands sustained investment in capacity building, institutional strengthening, and proactive risk reduction that empowers these nations to anticipate climate impacts, adapt to irreversible changes, and act before disasters strike — rather than scrambling to respond after catastrophe unfolds.

  • Could BTL’s Speednet Acquisition Mean Savings for Customers?

    Could BTL’s Speednet Acquisition Mean Savings for Customers?

    In a proposed $80 million industry consolidation set to reshape Belize’s telecommunications sector, Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) is pushing back against growing public skepticism, arguing that its planned acquisition of rival Speednet will deliver long-term benefits to consumers, including lower monthly rates and improved infrastructure. The deal has sparked fierce public debate since it was announced, with Belizean residents and industry stakeholders raising pointed questions about pricing transparency, competition risks, conflicts of interest, and the $80 million purchase price. Now, BTL’s leadership is making its case for consolidation, while industry watchdogs call for strict regulatory guardrails to protect consumers.

    Markhelm Lizarraga, chairman of BTL, argues that much of the public discourse has fixated on potential downsides while ignoring the core efficiencies a merged entity would unlock. “Because of the efficiencies that will come from market consolidation would allow for even a decrease in rates,” Lizarraga explained. “For example, there would be no more need for interconnection charges between BTL and Smart. Efficiencies will bring savings to consumers, increase dividends to shareholders, improve working conditions and benefits for workers.”

    Lizarraga’s core argument centers on the tiny size of Belize’s consumer market, which he says cannot sustain two fully parallel national telecom networks. Currently, both BTL and Speednet (which operates under the brand Smart) maintain duplicate infrastructure: separate cellular tower networks, independent national fiber optic cables, duplicated software systems, and parallel marketing and administrative teams. These overlapping costs, he insists, are ultimately passed on to consumers in the form of higher rates.

    “Picture this, we have a system that can do a million people. Our system only holding about two hundred and twenty-five thousand. Smart has one hundred thousand. Even after consolidation we’ll only be using thirty something percent capacity of our system,” Lizarraga noted. “Why have two systems? Consumers pay for it you know. Consumers pay for having two systems, two sets of fiber, and two sets of towers. Two sets of everything. All of these things make rate decreases difficult in this industry.”

    Critics of the deal have repeatedly raised alarms that the acquisition would create a harmful monopoly controlling nearly all of Belize’s telecom market, but BTL has pushed back against that claim, pointing to the existing Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) regulatory framework as a built-in guardrail for competition. Under the MVNO model, third-party businesses can sell telecom services to consumers using the existing infrastructure of the merged network, allowing for continued market competition without requiring new entrants to invest billions in building duplicate national networks from scratch. Lizarraga said BTL is still working with Belize’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to address competition concerns and confirm that the MVNO framework will be sufficient to prevent price gouging after the merger.

    “We still need feedback from the PUC about concerns regarding competition through MVNOs and other means of assuring the public that concerns about increasing costs or BTL taking advantage of them are unfounded,” he added.

    William Usher, vice chairman of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), told reporters that the business community does not inherently oppose the merger, but stresses that strong regulatory protections are non-negotiable to deliver on BTL’s promised benefits. “I think from a business standpoint there are many things. A lot of what they are saying probably will be beneficial. That for me and for us at the Chamber that is really not the problem,” Usher explained. “The problem is the guardrails that needs to be in place. Without the guardrails that is where we will fall short of whatever positiveness they are proposing to do. It is just simply business. And you know that if the guardrails are in play, if it is going where it should go, that there are measures in place to deal with it.”

    For ordinary Belizean consumers, the core questions remain straightforward: Will the acquisition deliver on its promise of lower rates? Will service quality improve across the country? And will regulatory safeguards be strong enough to prevent the merged company from exploiting its market power to raise prices long-term? As the PUC continues its review of the proposed deal, those questions remain unanswered for the 325,000 existing BTL and Smart customers across Belize. This report was prepared by Paul Lopez for News Five.

  • Can BTL Afford the $80 Million Speednet Deal?

    Can BTL Afford the $80 Million Speednet Deal?

    A major debate has erupted in Belize’s telecommunications sector over Belize Telemedia Limited’s (BTL) proposed $80 million acquisition of rival provider Speednet, with the core question at the center of discussions being whether the regional telecom can actually afford the eight-figure deal.

    BTL’s leadership is standing firm behind the financial viability of the transaction, saying the acquisition’s numbers add up to a solid strategic investment for the company. In an interview with local reporters, BTL Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga laid out the company’s financial roadmap for the deal, confirming that the negotiated purchase price currently stands at $80 million, pending the results of final due diligence to close the transaction.

    According to Lizarraga, BTL projects it will fully pay off the cost of the acquisition in approximately 4.2 years. The repayment structure calls for interest-only payments during the first two years, followed by principal payments carrying a 4.5 percent interest rate for the remaining term. Lizarraga emphasized that this repayment timeline has not been pulled from thin air: three independent third-party bodies have conducted their own analyses and substantiated BTL’s financial projections.

    The key to making the deal work, Lizarraga explained, lies in cutting redundant operational costs across the two merged companies. By eliminating duplicated expenses, BTL expects to redirect those savings toward increased cash flow that will cover the acquisition costs. He added that the company also plans to leverage unused excess capacity already existing in BTL’s current network infrastructure to generate additional revenue without major new capital investments.

    When pressed about what would happen if BTL fails to meet its repayment obligations, Lizarraga dismissed the scenario as extremely unlikely. He noted that both BTL’s board of directors and executive management team hold formal fiduciary responsibilities to act in the company’s best financial interest, and the leadership would never move forward with a transaction that carried any meaningful risk of default.

    “We would not be doing it if we thought that there was the slightest chance that through efficiencies in the market place we would not be able to pay it back,” Lizarraga told reporters. “The board has a fiduciary responsibility to the company. The management has a fiduciary responsibility to the company, we take that seriously.”

    This report is based on a transcribed transcript of a local evening television news broadcast from Belize District, originally published on August 12, 2026.

  • Independent Senators to BTL: Don’t Say We Were Invited

    Independent Senators to BTL: Don’t Say We Were Invited

    A high-stakes proposed acquisition in Belize’s telecommunications sector has sparked a public dispute over stakeholder consultation and industry transparency, as four independent senators push back against claims from Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) that they refused repeated invitations to discuss the deal.

    BTL, the country’s major telecom provider, has moved forward with plans to acquire Speednet Communications, the parent company of competing provider SMART. If approved, the merger would reshape Belize’s entire telecom market, impacting everything from consumer call and internet pricing to service quality and customer choice. BTL chairman Markhelm Lizarraga claimed publicly that the company had repeatedly extended invitations to independent senators to brief them on the proposal, accusing the lawmakers of refusing to engage with the company.

    But the four senators – Kevin Herrera, Glenfield Dennison, Rev. Louis Wade, and Janelle Chanona – have issued a flat denial of Lizarraga’s claims. They assert that no invitation, whether verbal or written, was ever extended to them directly to discuss the acquisition. Senator Chanona confirmed she received no such outreach, and an internal check with the Senate Clerk’s Office also confirmed no formal request from BTL to meet with the independent caucus specifically.

    Further clarification from Senate President Carolyn Trench-Sandiford has since shed light on the confusion: a formal briefing request was indeed sent by BTL CEO Ivan Tesucum on February 6 this year, but it was addressed only to the Office of the Senate President, asking to brief the full Senate as a collective body – not independent senators individually. That request came on the same day that Public Utilities Minister Michel Chebat announced in the House of Representatives that all discussions on the proposed acquisition would be paused, pending board approvals from BTL and the Social Security Board, plus a formal regulatory submission to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

    The Senate President acknowledged BTL’s request four days later on February 10, but noted the briefing would need to be scheduled at a later date, factoring in the paused acquisition process, existing Senate legislative workload, other National Assembly commitments, and an upcoming parliamentary recess. Now that BTL’s board has formally approved the acquisition, the Senate is moving to schedule the information session, with plans to invite all senators and request participation from the PUC for the briefing.

    The dispute has elevated broader concerns about the lack of open consultation around the deal, which critics warn could consolidate Belize’s telecom sector into a single monopoly – a step the independent senators have already labeled a regressive move for the country. Frustrated by the lack of proactive information sharing, the four lawmakers have sent formal letters directly to the PUC, the Attorney General, BTL’s board chair, and the Office of the Prime Minister requesting official answers on the proposed merger.

    At the core of the conflict is a growing public question: before regulators and government officials greenlight a decision that will impact every Belizean’s access to telecommunications, will the public receive a full, clear, and honest accounting of the deal’s potential impacts? The dispute now centers not just on whether the acquisition will be approved, but on whether all stakeholders – including elected representatives and the voting public – will get a chance to weigh in before the country’s telecom landscape is permanently altered.

  • Chairman Lizarraga Faces Integrity Questions Over Speednet Deal

    Chairman Lizarraga Faces Integrity Questions Over Speednet Deal

    As the proposed Speednet acquisition faces growing public and industry scrutiny, the chairman of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), former senator Markhelm Lizarraga, is facing the same calls for transparency and accountability he has long championed throughout his public and corporate career. The controversy has put Lizarraga’s professional integrity under the microscope, prompting a direct public defense of his actions and his leadership of the telecommunications firm.

    In comments delivered during an evening television broadcast, Lizarraga pushed back hard against questions raised about his role in the pending deal. He challenged critics to evaluate his tenure based on tangible operational results rather than unsubstantiated questions about his conduct.

    Lizarraga pointed to a sweeping five-year turnaround of BTL launched when he took the helm at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when Belize’s economy and business sector faced severe systemic disruption. When he assumed the chairmanship, he said, the company was in dire operational shape: its physical infrastructure was crumbling, its vehicle fleet was unusable, and it carried a heavy load of outstanding debt.

    Over the subsequent five years, Lizarraga emphasized, BTL’s leadership team completely rebuilt the company’s deteriorated facilities, replaced its aging, non-functional fleet, and delivered major network expansions across the country — all without taking on a single dollar of new borrowed capital. Not only did the turnaround avoid new debt, he noted, the company fully paid off all outstanding debt it inherited from previous leadership. Beyond operational improvements, Lizarraga added, BTL has also fulfilled its financial obligations to the Belizean government, paying out $20 million in outstanding dividends to the state under his leadership.

    “People will judge me by the work we have done and the results we have delivered,” Lizarraga said. “I have faced criticism from strong opponents before, and that is fine. I hope the public will ultimately see the benefits of what we are working to build.”

    This report is adapted from a verbatim transcript of a televised evening news broadcast, with any Kriol-language commentary transcribed using a standardized spelling system for accuracy.

  • Football : The FHF wants international matches to return to Haiti

    Football : The FHF wants international matches to return to Haiti

    After more than five years of being barred from hosting international football matches on home soil, Haiti is taking concrete steps to reverse this exclusion, with the country’s football governing body spearheading efforts to meet international stadium standards set by regional confederation CONCACAF.

    Earlier this week, Haiti’s Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action (MJSAC) gathered nearly 60 sports journalists for a detailed briefing focused on the newly released CONCACAF Stadium Guidelines for the 2026-2027 cycle, held at the ministry’s Frères headquarters with Sports Minister Pythagore Dumas in attendance. The meeting was structured to clarify the roadmap for upgrading domestic infrastructure to meet the requirements needed to welcome international teams back to Haitian territory.

    Opening the session, Belizaire Gabrie, coordinator of MJSAC’s Studies and Programming Unit, walked reporters through core project management fundamentals critical to the infrastructure upgrade effort. Key topics included the link between project scope and budget allocation, sequential phases for rolling out public sports investment projects, and defined roles for all participating government and sports institutions. Gabrie also emphasized clarity around common misconceptions, drawing clear distinctions between a project’s initial announcement, official validation, secured funding, and the actual start of construction work.

    Following the introductory project management overview, the briefing turned to the full breakdown of CONCACAF’s 2026-2027 stadium requirements, the mandatory checklist all venues must pass to earn hosting approval for international matches.

    Haiti’s five-year ban on hosting home fixtures traces back to two high-profile violent incidents that eroded international confidence in the country’s security for visiting teams. In January 2021, at the second leg of the Haitian national championship final between Violette AC and Arcahaie FC at Park Saint-Yves, widespread violent unrest left at least two people dead and multiple others injured. Just two months later, in March 2021, the bus transporting the Belize men’s national football team through Haiti was targeted in an attack by armed assailants. That incident prompted the Belize Football Association to formally demand enhanced security guarantees from CONCACAF and global governing body FIFA, cementing the decision to block Haiti from hosting future home matches.

    Despite the extended pause, the Haitian Football Federation (FHF) remains committed to bringing national team football back to home fans. Officials have identified Park Saint-Victor in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien as the leading candidate to host future international matches, primarily due to the city’s significantly more stable security landscape compared to the violence-plagued Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Cap-Haïtien already holds two key advantages that meet CONCACAF requirements: the city is home to multiple hospitals and hotels that meet the international standards needed to host visiting teams and match officials.

    Still, a number of critical upgrades remain to be completed before CONCACAF can grant hosting approval. Required improvements span core venue infrastructure: the playing pitch, player locker rooms, spectator seating and bleachers, field lighting for night matches, and overall stadium surrounding environment. If these upgrades are completed on schedule, Haitian football fans could soon see their national team compete on home soil for the first time in more than half a decade.

  • Cabinet Hears BTL, PUC and SSB, But Wants More

    Cabinet Hears BTL, PUC and SSB, But Wants More

    In a development out of Belize’s political sphere dated August 12, 2026, the national Cabinet has opted to hold off on a final ruling regarding the proposed acquisition of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), after receiving formal presentations from three key institutional stakeholders. Public Utilities Minister Michel Chebat confirmed to reporters that while BTL, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and the Social Security Board (SSB) all delivered detailed presentations to the ministers, the body still requires extra supporting information to move forward with a definitive call. The final vote and position from Cabinet is currently scheduled for the following Tuesday, pending receipt of the outstanding data.

    When asked about the quality of the three separate presentations delivered to the executive body, Chebat acknowledged that all three submissions were thorough and well-prepared, but reiterated that gaps remain in the information available to decision-makers. He declined to comment publicly on what specific details are still missing from the current documentation, stating that disclosure would not be appropriate at this stage of the process.

    Addressing ongoing concerns around market concentration, Chebat reaffirmed his earlier stance that the proposed acquisition would not create a new telecommunications monopoly in Belize. He pointed to the existing regulatory framework that already accommodates Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), a structure he says is designed to mitigate anti-competitive monopolistic practices in the country’s telecom sector. Chebat expressed cautious optimism that by the time Cabinet convenes next Tuesday to vote on the proposal, all required additional information will have been submitted, allowing ministers to make a fully informed final decision.

    This report is adapted from a transcribed transcript of an evening television news broadcast focused on developments in Belize District.

  • BlackOutBTL: Trade Unions Begin Fight Against Acquisition

    BlackOutBTL: Trade Unions Begin Fight Against Acquisition

    In a coordinated pushback against a major proposed telecommunications industry consolidation, Belize’s largest trade union umbrella organization has launched the first phase of a public opposition campaign that will kick off this Friday. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has issued a public call for workers, union affiliates, and all concerned citizens across the country to wear black clothing this Friday as a peaceful, visible protest against Belize Telemedia Limited’s (BTL) planned acquisition of rival telecommunications provider Speednet.

    Branded under the campaign slogan “Wear Black. Stand Together. Let Our Voices Be Heard,” the action encourages participants to document their participation by posting photos to social media platforms with the hashtag #BlackOutBTL, amplifying the movement’s reach beyond in-person gatherings. NTUCB President Ella Waight confirmed that Friday’s public demonstration is only the opening step in a sustained campaign against the proposed deal, with further actions planned depending on public response and developments in the acquisition process.

    Union leaders emphasize that their opposition extends far beyond a simple business transaction between two private telecom firms. The NTUCB has raised a broad set of concerns that the merger will have far-reaching negative ripple effects across multiple sectors of Belize’s economy and society. Most pressing among these worries is the potential for significant job losses among communication sector workers, as consolidated companies often implement cost-cutting restructuring that eliminates duplicate roles. Beyond employment impacts, the union warns that reducing competition in the country’s telecom market could lead to higher service prices for consumers, discourage future foreign and domestic investment in the sector, and limit innovation in digital and communication services for Belizean households and businesses.

    This news report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television broadcast originally published online, with original Kriol language content transcribed using standardized spelling conventions.