BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SOME of the nation’s most promising young persons are set to debate the hotly contested National Assembly Elections Amendment Act tomorrow morning (Nov. 11) in the Honourable House.
The sitting is a joint initiative of the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association (SKNYPA) and the Department of Youth. The annual event, which has become a staple of November’s Youth Month calendar, usually centres on the pertinent political issues of the day.
According to SKNYPA President Jihan Williams, her group’s status as one of the few non-partisan youth organisations compelled them to present an objective discussion on the contentious Bill.
“SKNYPA has a special mandate to discuss political issues. In light of the political climate and all the issues that have been talked about, we felt it necessary to discuss those issues outside of the salacious hints or tinges that are too often attached to the political arena.
“We want people to walk away with a greater understanding of the issues, and able to make their own determination regardless of who discusses or says it,” she explained.
The National Assembly Elections Amendment Act outlines the requirements and disqualifications for candidates seeking nomination to Parliament. An amendment was passed in July of this year that required them to swear an oath confirming they were under no allegiance to a foreign power or state.
Opposition party the People’s Action Movement (PAM) had initially brought a legal challenge against the legislation, claiming it was targeted at its Political and Deputy Political Leader, both of whom had renounced their American citizenship in June. However, after the House met again last week to pass another amendment, the case was withdrawn from the High Court.
The debaters will consist of SKNYPA members, secondary school students and representatives of the youth arms of political parties. Williams noted they would only be discussing the Act as it stood up to February 2009, but said the public could still expect to hear mention of matters such as dual citizenship, term limits and a set election date.
She also revealed that the youth parliamentarians would be adopting a resolution to strengthen the existing Code of Conduct for the Electoral Process.
“We were originally set to debate the resolution in September, but internal issues forced us to postpone it. Since the Code being circulated by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce has gained so much attention, we wanted to put our own spin on it.”
Youth Month 2009 was officially launched on Tuesday, November 3. Other activities include a high school song festival on the 23rd, a high school cook-off contest on the 27th and a clash of the high schools competition on the 28th.
