Minister Usher on Appointment of Collet Montejo to Re-division Taskforce

Public Service Minister Henry Charles Usher also commented on the Opposition’s concern over the appointment of P.U.P. Senator Collet Montejo to the Re-division Taskforce of the Election and Boundaries Commission. As supervisor of all field work, the U.D.P. is calling for Montejo to resign from the Senate.  While the appointment lies squarely with the Election and Boundaries Commission, which is a bipartisan group, Minister Usher says that Montejo’s temporary appointment is for his technical expertise.

Henry Charles Usher

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“In reference to whether that particular section of the constitution would apply to Mister Montejo, I looked at it, I read it over and that section deals with persons appointed to a post by law. I don’t see Mister Montejo appointed to any job or post in the public service and it deals with public officers that have to do with conducting elections. For instance, the Chief Elections Officer could not be a senator, according to the constitution, because she is in charge of conducting elections. Similarly, section B of that particular section of the constitution, speaks about persons that have to do with the revising of the electoral list. So any individual within the public service at elections and boundaries that deal with revising of the electoral list that person would not be able to serve as a senator under the constitution. Mister Montejo is not in charge of elections; he is not revising any elections list. He is merely a technical part of a task force appointed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission. So in my layman reading, I don’t see it as being a conflict. I think they were trying to misdirect the fact at the work is being done by the redistricting task force and the Election and Boundaries Commission is carrying out its duty according to the law.”