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Minister Boots' Opponent Claims Incumbent Is "Padding" List
posted (September 7, 2011)
Last week in the Magistrate's court, voter's lists came up for finalization and review. In Port Loyola there were objection to about 140 new registrants - but because of improper or insufficient notice from the Election and Boundaries Department - all those objections failed - and all the voters were added to the list.

That's a major score for UDP area representative Anthony Boots Martinez - who's responsible for the new registrants. But his PUP opponent Gilroy Usher says it's elections fraud; he says Boots is padding the list with voters who don't live in Port Loyola.

And today, Usher staged a protest in front of the Elections and Boundaries Central Office in Belize City to voice his displeasure.

He had about 25 supporters carrying placards and the passion of a true democrat, who may have been bested in this registration period, but says he isn't about to get beaten:

Gilroy Usher Sr. - PUP Standard Bearer, Port Loyola
"We have these people out here because we are objecting to the fraudulent transfer of over 100 persons in Port Loyola who have not lived in the division for even a single day."

Jules Vasquez
"But if they are fraudulent, why couldn't you get them off the list?"

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We couldn't get them off the list because the Elections and Boundaries Department was following order from Belmopan to frustrate the process to ensure that this didn't happen. Let me show you what the Elections and Boundaries Department did on orders from Belmopan. We filed our objections to the over 100 persons in time by August 25. The Elections and Boundaries should have printed our objections in Amandala for Wednesday, August 31 for the three areas. What they did was that the only printed the objections for one area, Area 22a. They did not print the objections for area 20 and area 22, and these things have to be printed by a certain time. That's why they used the Wednesday, August 31 edition because it has to meet the deadline. So now, the ones that were printed for area 20 and 22, those were printed in the Guardian for September 4, but the deadline had already passed by then. So the Magistrate said that nothing can be do about them. After we printed - after we filed our objections, the people in Belmopan took shame at the massive fraud that was being carried out, and our recognition of it, and so, the Elections and Boundaries Department printed - or decided then that these persons here, should not be on the list. They should not have been on the list from the first instance. They should never have been put on the list. But since they printed them on the supplementary list, what they did - they printed in the Wednesday Amandala that they, the Elections and Boundaries Department, are disqualifying these persons, when they know fully well that the Elections and Boundaries does not have the authority to disqualify any voter. They knew that what they should have done is printing this thing here as voters who have been objected to. And so they didn't do that, deliberately; they printed disqualified. So all these people here will remain on the voter's list, even though they don't live there."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you know that they don't live there? I see that they have addresses there."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We went and checked; we did our due diligence, and it is only after we did our due diligence that the Elections and Boundaries printed this list."

Jules Vasquez
"But if this goes through, you will lose the election, Mr. Usher, this is 280 voters that you have to account for."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"This is a clear indication, by attempting to pad the voter's list who do not belong in the area, right. It's a clear indication that "Boots" Martinez is coward in Port Loyola."

Jules Vasquez
"Pure interpretations, however, elections are won by names on a paper. You didn't register anybody for this period. How many did you register for this period?"

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We registered a considerable amount of persons."

Jules Vasquez
"Specify."

Gilroy Usher
"We registered and transferred."

Jules Vasquez
"Yes, only those who live in the division, that's fine."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"Yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Legit, but how many? It's a game of numbers. That's my concern. You will lose the elections legitimately."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We will not lose the elections."

Jules Vasquez
"But I am saying that you don't have 140 names to put on; that's my concern."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We don't have 140 names, but we registered people who genuinely reside in the division."

Jules Vasquez
"But I heard that you didn't register any."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"I am telling you for a fact, and you will not believe."

Jules Vasquez
"But you won't tell me how much."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We registered a considerable amount."

Jules Vasquez
"But considerable is how much?"

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"We registered over 50, people who reside in the divisions genuinely."

Gilroy Usher Jr. - Usher Supporter
"If all these processes continue to go through unchallenged, and the man manage to register the 500 people who he wants in the division, then we have it tough. But as long as we are able to challenge this, and get most of those people off the list, it strengthens our chances of winning."

Jules Vasquez
"So the next one, will you challenge it more effectively in terms of making sure that Elections and Boundaries does there job?"

Gilroy Usher Jr.
"Definitely, We will make sure that Elections and Boundaries doesn't slip up, exactly."

Gilroy Usher Sr.
"That exactly why we are out here, to draw awareness to the situation, so that they do not perpetuate this fraud in Port Loyola when they bring out the supplimentary list for September 25."

Jules Vasquez
"He said that you are responsible for election fraud."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez - Incumbent Area Rep.
"First and foremost, he needs to learn the 101 of politics. If you want to succeed, you need to learn to register and transfer people."

Jules Vasquez
"But not from out the division, he says that you are bringing people who don't live in the division."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Listen to what I'm saying, you can't transfer or register people who don't live in the division. There is a process, and obviously, it looks like he needs to go to some political school. He is a total failure; I have nothing much to say about that. What he needs to do is he need the basic 101 of politics. And that is to get the voters on the list, and make sure that he gets support for the next election."

Jules Vasquez
"At any point, did you use your influence to encourage or induce the Elections and Boundaries Department to not publish the objections in a timely manner, or to publish these hopeless disqualifications?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"I don't know about hopeless - obviously hopeless disqualifications - but I had nothing to do with the process. He's wasting his time; he's all about illusions. I don't know see where he can survive politically in Port Loyola. You are speaking about a man who only got 326 for a convention, you know, out of 4000+ people. He is wasting his time."

When we reached the Deputy Chief elections Officer this afternoon, he said the objections had been posted in a timely manner and the matter was duly represented before the courts.

As for the allegation that the office had come under political duress to do its work, he flatly denied that.

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