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But that pace didn't stop the Senate from getting in a hearty and revealing debate. Leader of government business in the senate Douglas Singh started it off like Roberto Duran.

Senator Douglas Singh,
"The litigation continues and the government of Belize is saying no mas, no more, and therefore Madam President in the public interest it has become necessary to remove BTL from this pariah. I want to remind this House that in our national anthem there is a phrase that says "despots most flee." In the concise Oxford dictionary, despot is defined as a ruler who exercises absolute power especially in a cruel or oppressive way. Well Michael Ashcroft is the ruler over BTL and he exercises that power in a cruel and oppressive manner and fitting to Samuel Haynes 1925 anthem and certainly he had some vision in that context, the despot must flee or be forcefully made to do so."

Senator Godwin Hulse,
"We have seen the monster of an accommodation agreement under a government run awry who ceased to represent the best interest of the people. BTL, Madam President I could not stand here in just conscience and defend as a principle the nationalization or the takeover of any private sector entity. I could not because it is against the principle of the free enterprise system. But, and this is the big but, this is the but that has me dancing on the point of the tap, not the sensationalism out there, I don't pander to that, but the fact that my private sector entity which I would guard and cherish never came between hands, it did not come between hands, it deliberately, purposefully, skilfully, stripped, disclosed, got into the bed, and now after voluntarily getting in there calls murder.

It got in bed to accommodate the other party who was in heat and willing to get its thing satisfied because the scandal would have been something it couldn't stand. Nobody anticipated the work, as much as it has not been heralded, and I will not champion our cause, but Senator Gomez sitting up there and Senator Chan and all the other members, particularly those two gentlemen and myself put in 22 months of tireless, unpaid work; we dug and we dug and nobody thought we would get into that bedroom to see what was happening. And so they had to cover it, quick blanket over it, accommodation and so we have an accommodation which literally screwed the people of Belize. We got to make sure that doesn't happen again.

That the private sector Senator who should stand up for the private sector has not stood up, well I am properly standing up and saying bwoy if you are dragged into that bed and wrestled down onto mattress I would defend your case but you walked into there willingly and stripped yourself. And then you put the bill on me and I don't think the Belizean public needs to carry that."

Senator Hector Silva
"But today as I said we are in serious trouble because we gave ourselves away to this shining, to this bright stars called investors that come here without money, they borrow money and I will tell you right now how I am going to vote, you will see it when I get to that point, but I am against monopolies. It is good to give concessions, listen to me, it is good to give concessions. We need investors, bring them in under concessions but also based on regulations and within the ambit of our law."

Senator Paul Perriott,
"We are now here, we have gained through this administration that position that we have been fighting for since then. We had the signs and the public could remember our signs said we don't want any Prosser or any Ashcroft controlling BTL. As I said the past administration had the chance to make things right when the shares were passed from Michael Ashcroft to the government of Belize. If they had been honourable and done what supposed to have been done from then we wouldn't be at this juncture. But we know now that through all of that there was always the secret deal to put back BTL in the hands of Michael Ashcroft. If you listen attentively to the radio shows, you could go back to what Mose mentioned this morning, about BTL controlling the road and the cars going on the road and this should never be. I recall a while back that because we had, or Krem were having issues with BTL, they were removed from the cable companies, they had been refused continually to have their services to be passed through the fibre network. Now, the government in this position could take control of that and make it right for all Belizeans.

And since the management had been taken over by Michael Ashcroft, we have had continued issues with the administration of the company. We have seen employees, because of being vocal, being terminated, and I applaud this move as a Belizean and as a Senator representing workers. Having felt the wrath of BTL under the Ashcroft management and at the eve of our September celebrations, the battle of our forefathers to drive out the tyrants and despots is applauded. I applaud the bold move by the government of Belize to put things in order. Belizeans can now be proud owners of BTL."

In the end a division was taken meaning each senator had to declare their vote. 9 voted in support, meaning the UDP senators and the civil society senators, while the two PUP senators abstained. Noteworthy that that the PUP senators did not vote along with their party leader who cast an opposing vote yesterday.