PSU Chief Raises Alarm Over Potential BTL / SMART Takeover Impact

Public Service Union President Dean Flowers has weighed in on the ongoing rumors surrounding a potential buyout of SMART by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL). Flowers expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the reported acquisition talks, which could also involve Centaur Communications and NEXGEN/CTI. While BTL has since confirmed that discussions are underway, Flowers cautioned that such a move could have serious implications for workers and consumers, particularly those in the public service sector who rely heavily on these telecom providers. He stressed that any decision of this scale must prioritize accountability, public interest, and job security, especially given the reported $150 million price tag and possible conflicts of interest tied to political affiliations.

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union: “Who will be the winners if this deal was to come to fruition? And I think one media house said it best why would you go on buy Smart which is bleeding out? Look in government, look in government especially in their first term. All the Smart executives ran over to government. Why didn’t they stay over at Smart if Smart was doing so good. So why would we compensate them for something that is bound to fail in the long run ? So while everybody might be saying it makes good business sense because blah blah blah what BTL is currently offering the issue is timing. And the timing for me based on what our colleagues on that side of telecommunications are saying it makes no sense. Allow Smart to bleed out. Allow cable to eventually go obsolete. So why do we have to reward the Lizarragas and the Briceños and the Ashcrofts when ultimately their business will bleed out and we can acquire it for the country at a low price ? So for me it would be about timing more than anything and for me it will serve greater economic sense to put that money in the hands of teachers and public officers who will put it back into the economy than put it in the hands of three people.”

Flowers says the union will be closely monitoring the developments to ensure that the voices of the public are not left out of the conversation.