BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 23.2018 – KRYSTAL Tomlinson, President of the People's National Party Youth Organisation in Jamaica, has called on those in authority to stop mistaking youth presence for youth participation.
Speaking at the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s (SKNLP) 86th Convention on Sunday (May 20), Tomlinson called for youth inclusion in policy decisions, noting that there is a need for the voice of the young people to be heard in the political landscape.
She cautioned against mistaking youth presence for youth participation during the drafting of policies, as far too often the concerns of youths go beyond the access to education and sitting at the table.
The advocate pointed out that youths should be engaged in maternal health since more young people are having babies in their teenage years.
“Now, if we stand to demand that the bar be raised in our political participation; when your Constituency Representative or your representative in parliament, business owners and educators start to ask for youths to contribute, they will now come to understand that when we come to the table we do not just want to sit there, we want to tell you that it is a poorly constructed table. We want to help you to deconstruct the table and reconstruct it…,” Tomlinson explained.
Additionally, the Jamaican said that there will be nobody to articulate the position of youth if the young people do not speak up and let their voices be heard.
To that end, she stated that when youths are involved in politics, they have to come with a “broad back” because they will be carrying the “responsibilities, ambition, vision, and passion” of those who are suffering.
“So, we have a duty and an obligation to represent in the fullest manner possible,” she said.
That position comes as she urged more young people in St. Kitts and Nevis to get involved in the local politics.
That call comes amidst the opposition SKNLP push to have more first-time voters be registered for the next general elections which are due in 2020.
