Man of the moment!!
Curtis Martin: The youth from Irish Town

By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE adage “Youths are the leaders of tomorrow” certainly holds true, for it was evidenced in the recent appointment of the youngest individual ever to be elected Speaker of the National Assembly in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Born to Gloria Martin and Elwood Benjamin some 38 years ago, Curtis Martin strongly believes he is suitable for the position of Speaker of the National Assembly and vows to be impartial in all issues brought before him. Martin credits himself with a proclivity to meticulousness, which he claims was garnered during adolescence and strengthened in pursuance of higher education.

This unique and rare quality is the foundation upon which excellent decisions are made in an unfettered manner; a quality that must be executed by any Speaker of the House, regardless of political and or party affiliations.

Martin, who is also Vice President of Human Resource at Cable and Wireless, has political ambitions and he intends to use the Speaker’s office as the final stepping stone in realisation of his teenage dream.

He has always been enthusiastic about serving his country and had earlier thought that politics seemed the perfect route to take. However, he pointed out that getting acutely involved in the political arena, though propitious, has an adverse effect on the young.

“About a year ago, if I were given the opportunity of choosing between being a candidate for a particular constituency or Speaker of the National Assembly, I would have chosen the former. But when I looked at what is happening with respect to the political arena in St. Kitts and the direction it has taken, I thought of other ways in serving my country.

“Politics in St. Kitts ages you…you get older quickly! Because it is one where you are expected to be at a certain standard and you have all sorts of pressures put on you…whether in government, the opposition, or even your own party. So, what I have decided to do is to serve in another capacity which puts me close enough to see what is happening,” Martin said.

Martin is of the view that he has time, in terms of age, to achieve his goal, but “for now I am more interested in serving my country in a different capacity”.~~Adz:Right~~

Adding to the numerous reasons for his suitability to the office, Martin said, “For many years I have listened to and witnessed the proceedings at the House of Assembly. I have been a debater at school and I love to discuss issues in a mature and constructive way.”

The young Speaker of the House declared that he believes in conflict but it must be constructive: “If I should say that I disagree with an individual, I would state my reasons and make suggestions, as opposed to say ‘I disagree with you and that’s your weakness’’, which I find is destructive.”

“Real growth and progress,” he added, “is based on being, perhaps sometimes, unreasonable, challenging and different because when you have two people who always agree, perhaps one of them may be unnecessary. So, I always try to encourage people to extend their mind because once it extends to new horizons, it never regains its original position.”

The father of three two boys and one girl [Curjan, Marlo and Makaila, respectively] believes he is well-suited for the office because of his experience.

“I would say that I am absolutely suited for the role of Speaker of the House, given my experience. Having if fact been on the lecture circuit in St. Kitts, I have given hundreds of youth development sessions on different topics. I get letters and requests every week…and as we speak, just today I was at the JNF Hospital lecturing on Customer Service.

I have also rendered additional service to my country during the Cricket World Cup in the form of assisting with the customer service brand.”

Coming out of a single-parent home and of very humble beginnings, Martin’s education started under a house in Mc Knight with “half a book and, if lucky, a pair of shoes”. From there he moved to the Irishtown Primary School, followed by Basseterre Junior High, Basseterre Senior High and thence to the Sixth Form.

On completion of his exams, the young Basseterre scholar was in search of employment and found it at the then SKANTEL in 1989, one year after its establishment in the Federation. He was the first scholarship student to be employed by the ~~Adz:Left~~communications giant.

His first position was that of Accounts Clerk and, as he stepped on the promotional ladder, Martin climbed to the rung of Human Resource then to Customer Services and back to Human Resource, where he is at the upper rung.
Martin would give thanks to Mackie Jeffers and Jim Rawlins for giving him the opportunity to grow, and declared that Cable and Wireless has molded him from a scholarship student to an Executive.

At Cable and Wireless, Martin had completed a number of courses which took him around the globe. He is a certified Human Resource Specialist. He gained his Diploma at the University of the West Indies and will soon complete his MBA.
Martin said that he believes in a balance lifestyle and “that is something I have to pay some attention to.

Because whenever you stop doing the things that you value, your life is out of balance. If you stop going to church, if you stop finding time for yourself, your life is out of balance. You cannot work consumingly and leave out your family, because you have to provide for the family so you have to be a part of it, for the family had taken care of you as an individual. That is something that I prize”! 

Curtis Martin was high in praise of his mother for building the foundation upon which his education and career were launched. He also commended his father for assisting him along the way and could not have stopped giving praises to God and thanks to the numerous teachers and individuals in the Irishtown, Mc Knight and Prickley Pear Alley community that contributed in one way or another to his success.