AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Nation Court of Appeal decision regarding Telemedia

Press Release - Saturday, June 25, 2011 - Belize Press Office - On Friday June 24, 2011 the Belize Court of Appeal ruled that the acquisition of Belize Te-lemedia Limited by the Government of Belize, is unconstitutional. As a consequence of that decision Mr Dean Boyce, one of the successful appellants, went to Telemedia's headquarters on St Thomas street in Belize City and purported to take back the company. Government then got immediate legal advice as to the full import and consequence of the Court of Appeal decision. Read more: The San Pedro Sun

It seems Belize is a proper capitalist country. Hats off.

The country is the furthest thing you can get from a true capitalist country. Nationalization of the two largest public utilities is not capitalist. You will note that the decision does not include enforcement power and the appellant will have to go to court to ask for that. Nationalizing the two largest utilities in the country in the same year will only serve to warn potential investors to stay far away. Unfortunately, Belize seems to be or is rapidly becoming a 'banana republic' without many bananas.
If there is any kind of capitalism it is crony capitalism wherein the party in power uses every tool at it's disposal to reward it's friends and punish it's enemies. It is really too sad.

I simply took FM's comment to mean the appeal went in the favor of the appellate, and therefore was in favour of free enterprise...but it is indeed of some concern that the party in power would make such a move to begin with. Were reasons even made public as to why GOB made this move to begin with?

Government can't run anything properly and efficiently. As long as the highest court of the land strikes down attempts by it to grab power through running more and more aspects of it's people's lives there is hope.