‘It’s about giving service to community’
Senior government officials among 150 persons sworn in as justices of the peace
Published:Friday | November 4, 2022 | 12:08 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Several senior government officials, among them Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Wayne Robertson, acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, were among 150 persons sworn in as justices of the peace at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Sunday.
For some, the designation was both the fulfilment of a personal desire, as well as to address needs within their specific offices.
Up until Sunday afternoon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade was operating without an employed staff member who is also a justice of the peace (JP).
But Ambassador Sealy Monteith emphasised that she did not seek to become a JP because of the need for a JP at the ministry.
“I just believe that it is something for which I would be enabled to offer that kind of service.
“We do offer services that require the authentication services and other services that will require JP; the forms that are signed, including when documents come from overseas and require that … . Unfortunately, at this point in time, we do not have a JP within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, so there’s that immediate need.
“But of course, it’s an extension, recognising that the service of being a JP goes well beyond any one institution, but really is part of what I do in service to the Government and people of Jamaica,” Monteith told The Gleaner after being commissioned.
“We had a situation a few months ago when we required a JP and our staff members had to secure one from a company which was nearby,” she said.
Monteith made note that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has had JPs in the past, but those persons are now retired.
Robertson said he sought to be commissioned based on the desire to serve the ministry to which he has been assigned.
“Being a JP is about giving service to the community. So my immediate community, and I’m referencing now the workspace, I have to ensure that I provide service to my staff members. So if they need any documents to sign, whether it is an application for passport or renewal, etc, I have to ensure that I provide that sort of assistance to make sure that their applications are settled and being processed,” Robertson told The Gleaner.
He continued, “Of course, there are other documentations required for processing that will be submitted to me for signature, so I’ll will now make myself available to my staff members for assistance to be provided in that regard.”
Robertson said his decision was also to provide guidance and a model to younger staffers.
“As the permanent secretary and chief technocrat in the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs – note the name of the ministry and the mandate of the ministry and role – it is imperative that I ensure full adherence to the laws of Jamaica, and in fact, that was part of my oath; and ensuring that I respect the law, adhere to the rules of the land, and to ensure that I am an example, particularly to the young ones who are coming up within the public service and within the wider Jamaica. I have to be exemplary in my conduct and in all I do,” Robertson said.
Government minsters Alando Terrelonge, state minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and Senator Natalie Campbell Rodriquez were also commissioned on Sunday as justices of the peace for the parish of St Andrew.