More reasons for the liberalization of the Guyanese Telecommunication Sector!

Guyanese are familiar with the name Jeffrey Prosser who is a key figure in the ATN parent company of GT&T.

His name has come up in Belize where the government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow was this week forced to take over the telecommunication company

What Mr. Barrow had to say on the issue makes instructive reading.

“…telecommunications – information and communications technology – is a critical part of the development apparatus of any modern society. Indeed, as has been officially recognized by our regional integration movement CARICOM, it is an indispensable tool in that restructuring of developing countries’ economies that, in the face of the global crisis, must begin to take place now. Accordingly, unregulated monopoly control and abuse of the sector cannot be permitted”, he said.

The Belize Government has acted against the moves by the powerful Michael Ashcroft who owned the telecommunications company there to retain control of the crucial sector and Prosser has also been named in the shady deals between the previous government and his company there.

Said Prime Minister Barrow: “let no one be in any doubt as to why we are doing what we are doing today. 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.”

It would be interesting to hear the reaction of the PNCR and its cronies here on this situation as it related to their deals with Prosser and GT&T when they were in government.