BTL Deal Raises Political Déjà Vu for PUP

So just how risky is this BTL–Speednet deal for the Briceño administration? It’s not the first time a BTL issue has stirred public anger, three years before the PUP lost the 2008 election, the company was at the center of nationwide dissent and protests. So, is the party worried history might be lining up for a repeat? We put that question directly to Minister Musa.

 

Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores

“Yeah that is a reality we have to consider as politicians going. This is our first year into your second term and so that is something that definitely weighs on every politician’s mind in this critical juncture. Again, it is not going to be a decision that will be made up to the politicians but rather to the board. And so, we have to voice our concerns moving forward with a deal like this given all of the pushback that we have been seeing.”

 

 

 

Paul Lopez

“Then the UDP says they are going to increase their action. They say this is phase one. They have phase two and three. Are you thinking about the momentum that this is building for them as they reemerge as a viable opposition?”

 

Kareem Musa

“Like I said I think it was a decent showing on the part of the opposition. I don’t know that it is going to result in phase one, two, three, four, like what they are saying. But like I said earlier that is important for a healthy democracy that we have a strong, vibrant opposition. So I think it is a good thing and we have to look at it like that as politicians, even though we are in government, to look at it as a positive thing that in fact there was a demonstration yesterday with dissenting views. That is good.”

 

And Minister Musa didn’t shy away from the political reality. He told us that, yes, moments like this weigh on every politician, especially at the start of a second term. Still, he says the final call on the BTL–Speednet deal isn’t for politicians to make, but for the board. As for the UDP’s promise of phase two and three of their protests, Musa says their turnout was ‘a decent showing,’ but he’s not convinced it’ll escalate the way the opposition claims. Even so, he welcomed the pushback, saying a strong, active opposition is healthy for democracy, dissenting voices included.