Urges older generation to set better examples
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – “To be of the order to love where this country is going, it is the responsibility of not only you as the older generation but us as the younger generation as well.”
This opinion, among many others, was made by Youth Parliamentarian Kasim Queeley to attendees of a public meeting held by Dwyer Astaphan at Greenlands Park on Thursday, February 3, 2011.
The 20-year-old, who was the first of four speakers, is said to have been invited to give the young people’s perspective on the Federation with the view of where they would like to see it go.
Queeley said he loves his country of birth but good examples must be set by the older generation for young people to follow in order for them to make St. Kitts and Nevis better.
He noted that the time would come when the older generation would have to pass on a baton of their examples, “a baton we want to be proud of when we are left to do what it is you guys are doing right now, then we can truly say we are proud Kittitians and Nevisians. And we are proud of the way that was set before us and we will do our best to make that way better and to improve it”.
He however pointed out that there must be radical changes in the older generation’s thinking and behaviour before such a baton is passed on.
“In order to do so we have to get rid of party politics. In order to do so we have to get rid of not speaking to each other when an election comes around; in order to do so we have to be able to agree to disagree, to respect each other’s opinions, to not discriminate, to not victimise, to not condone wrongful behaviour, but to be able to stand up when we see that something wrong is happening and speak out about it. In order to become proud of this country, St. Kitts and Nevis, we got to do exactly what we are doing here tonight…exercise our freedom of speech. Do not be afraid what will happen five minutes from now, tomorrow, the day after or five years from now.”
The St. Kitts-Nevis Youth Parliament Association’s member also pointed out that they must rid themselves of party politics, rid themselves of not speaking to each other when elections come around and they must be able to agree to disagree.
“In order to do so we have to respect each other’s opinions, to not discriminate, to not victimise, to not condone wrongful behaviour, but to be able to stand up when we see that something wrong is happening and speak out about it. In order to become proud of this country, St. Kitts and Nevis, we got to do exactly what we are here for tonight…exercise our freedom of speech. Do not be afraid what will happen five minutes from now, tomorrow, the day after or five years from now. But be sure that when we speak we don’t speak with any hidden agendas; we speak to the love of this country. We speak knowing that we want to achieve and we want to do something that is greater and bigger than any of us,” Queeley added.
Noting the geographical size of the Federation and its populace, Queeley said, “Although we may be small in size in land mass and population, we are big in heart. Because if you examine one of the most deadly explosives in this world, the TNT, it is not a huge thing; it is very small but it packs power and it is power that we need as a people. We don’t get that power by one going down Irishtown, another in Newton Ground, then another over in Cayon and one stay in Frigate Bay. We will get power by taking those individual people, all of us going to Irishtown, all of us going to Newton Ground, all of us going over to Saddlers, all of us going down to Frigate Bay and becoming one voice.”
Queeley highlighted the fact that separation of people would occur at the time of an election, but warned that when an election is over “we don’t have five years of election continuing…we have five years of building a country, and we cannot build a country by simply having election but by making a conscious effort day in and day out to do what is best for this country”.
The Christian-oriented youth also gave his opinion on what is best for the Federation.
“What is best for this country is not separation; it is not pulling and hauling, it is not us beating up and victimising each other…it is coming together having one purpose, having one goal and doing what is best for this country. What is also best for this country is being able to sit down with the young people of this country and give them the history of this country, not from a bias opinion but from a broad and an open perspective. Let them know if wrong has occurred, where it has occurred. If it has been occurred on both sides, tell them. Don’t give them the left and leave them to find out the right and other examples; it is not right and we have not to do that. We ought to be able to come together as one, as old, as good, as small, as bald, as gray; it doesn’t matter where we live…we live in town or we live in the country, north south or east, it doesn’t matter.
“What matters is the nationality that you carry and we carry on our passports – Kittitians and Nevisians. What matters is what kind of country you want to leave for your children. What matters is what kind of values we want to instill in them. What matters is what kind of place we want to leave behind.”
Queeley emphasised that citizens of the Federation are very intelligent but opined that they must break down the barriers that prevent them from achieving unity.
“We are intelligent citizens and intelligent citizens stop bickering; they stop separating; they stop letting colours, parties, people, ideologies and all those sorts of irrelevant and trivial things separate them. Intelligent people put their cards on the table and see if the queen of spades goes well with the queen of hearts and then see if they can make queen of spades and queen of hearts one. That is what intelligent people do. And I believe that the people of St. Kitts and Nevis are intelligent people. We the young people are intelligent as well, but we will need your help, we will need your expertise and knowledge, and you also need us.”
In a very eloquent and positive manner of speech, Queeley supported his opinion on the need for the older generation to help the youths.
Queeley said they might have an idea, which might just be a diamond in the rough, “but with the coat and right guidance – a curt way of using those tools to chip away at those rough edges – we will find is a bright shining gem”.
“What we need is a bright shining gem; something to come out from amidst all this chaos that we have. This chaos that we have is limited…we need to be able to do what is right. Once again I ask you to join us as we stop bickering and separating and let us come together and make a good place for St. Kitts,” were Kasim Queely’s final remarks as he exited the platform to tumultuous applause from the large gathering.
