And speaking of elections, the Leader of the Opposition made sure to seize upon the very last opportunity to sway voters with another revelation about the family of UDP Cayo Central Representative Rene Montero.
Birceno produced documents which show a 2011 compensation settlement for Montero's sister. She first got the land in 1998 - in the last days of the Esquivel Administration. The PUP took it back, and then she - like other members of her family - got compensated when the UDP was re-elected.
Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"I just issued a release where the Montero family collected another 1.4 million. They paid $13,229 for land in 1998 and now the Barrow/Faber UDP government have compensated Minister Montero's sister and brother-in-law to the tune of $1,488,019.53. If that is not an outrage, if that doesn't get us upset - first to be able to want to take some sort of action, then what?"
Rene Montero is a leading political figure in Cayo - which is also the most dominant municipality for the UDP in the whole country.
They've been winning in that seat all the way back to 2003. So by pushing the Montero agenda, does the PUP hope to up-end this streak, and pull off what would be the ultimate political upset. That's what we asked Briceno:..
Reporter
"Are you all hoping that these revelations about the Montero family will create what would be the ultimate upset in that western strong-hold for the UDP?"
Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"I think to us what is more important that the political gains is for the people across this country, including San Ignacio and Santa Elena to see the kind of representative that they have in Montero. But at the end of the day if the people still believe that they are happy with Mr. Montero, then we have to respect the decision of the people of San Ignacio and Santa Elena."
The Montero's say these family land holding have been publicized before by the PUP.
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