Both Stake Bank and Waterloo's ports have run into environmental obstacles which have prevented them from getting full clearance. Still, Barrow says they should be the ones being focussed on rather than Portico.

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Let us look at what I explained to Royal Caribbean. Gegg and Gulab Sharma have absolutely no track record of any such project on this scale. Sharma is a Freezone operator, Mr Gegg is a tour guide operator. Then you have Mike Feinstein who is a renowned tourism stakeholder, has spent tens of millions of dollars in developing tourism projects in particular the recent Stake Bank development, has a definitive agreement with the government of Belize since 2017, had a causeway approval that the now government is disputing then you look at Waterloo, again a port that is in existence, a group, the Waterloo group, affiliated with Lord Ashcroft, billionaire, owns 60% of the banking market, so two projects that have the credibility and the legitimate agreements to move forward, and now here we have Portico just come and skip over what would be the two most credible projects."

"So when you're denying one group for environmental concerns, when you said you didn't want anything to do with Vulcan because they don't belong in Gales Point because all they're going to do is come and destroy our natural resources, how do you reach to Mr Gegg? So again, it screams corruption."

But does Barrow have a pony in the port race? That's what the media asked him.

Reporter:
"Are you getting anything out of this advocacy that you are doing against the Portico project, a lot of what you're saying sounds a lot of what is contained in the letters from the Ashcroft Alliance against the Portico project."

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Mr Feinstein is saying that same thing that Mr Ashcroft is saying, Mr Feinstein is taking the government to court as we speak, are you not aware of that?"

Reporter:
"They have written a letter threatening..."

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Threatening legal action. Why are they threatening legal action? Because of Portico. And in this interview I have sung the praises of Mr Feinstein and I have described the possibilities of Waterloo. I have been consistent, I have always supported Waterloo, my position is that may the best port project win, which is what the prime minister initially said, I have gone on record to say that I thought that Waterloo was the best port project, I have a right to that opinion, I have not done anything, what proof do you have of any impropriety, any illegality that I have engaged in as far as this matter is concerned?"