BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH all the election talks in the air, is there anyone out there really educating the young people and first-time voters about their individual voters’ rights and restrictions?
Who are you to say that I am a Labour because my mother is a Labour? Who are you to say that I am a PAM because my father is a PAM?
What does the fact that Robert Bradshaw or Kennedy Simmonds did favours for my great-grandmother/father or grandmother/father in the past has to do with my voting decision?
I, as a young individual, am tired of hearing about PAM this and Labour that. What about the country and what is good for us? What about the issues of our people? Are we so blinded by politics that we do not know how to vote for what is right?
When I think about politics in our Federation I see it as nothing but a big joke, for many politicians act like a group of comedians on the podium, bickering and lashing at each other like a set of high schoolers.
Why is it that when elections come around there are falling outs? Why can’t we go out on Election Day and cast our votes and just move on to the next day? Are we not civilised?
Upon taking the opportunity to speak with 16 persons, all under the age of 25, who will have the opportunity to vote in the next election, nine said they are still undecided, while four of them said they are voting for a particular party because their family members are traditional supporters of that party, and the other three said they would be voting for the party of their choice.
Twenty-one-year-old Jemadari McMahon said he is still thinking about voting but he is not sure what is going on with both parties. “Everybody crying change, but nothing really changing” he added.
On the other hand, Cheriasse Mc Sheene (22) was quite positive that she would be casting her ballot come Election Day. She said it would be totally her decision and her ballot would be based on the particular party’s plans for the future.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old, who prefers to be known only as Benjamin, said he would not be voting. “I don’t see any reason to vote,” he added.
Judging from the answer I got while talking to these persons, I realise that I am not the only confused young national who has qualms about voting for the first time.
According to online sources, some important factors to consider before voting for a candidate are: to consider not only today but also tomorrow, and who would be better suitable to lead us into tomorrow; who has vision versus who maintains a failed administration; decide if you particularly like or dislike the candidate's personality and behaviour, and if you like the party they are in; and, most importantly, if you agree on the majority of the issues and the solutions they have outlined.
Every party has its colour; this we all know! But what is it with politicians and some people in society not wearing a certain colour because it is that of another party which they do not support even when it is not election time? What I find most disturbing, is that our elders and many adults are engrossed in showcasing their party colours, and when they see or hear young men in the Federation defending the colours of their gangs, they chastise and cry shame on them. Although I am against the gang culture and strongly believe that it is not good for my Federation, I think it is time for us to remove that proverbial veil from over our eyes, because the youths live what they see. This is the time for setting examples, and we must remember that the future is determined by what occurred in the past and what is happening at present.
The 2004 Election was my very first voting opportunity and I chose not to because I did not know what I was voting for. I was younger and I did not really see what the fuss of politics was about. Most of my family members went out and cast their vote for the Labour Party, but did this mean that I should have done the same? On that day, October 25, 2004, I did not see what the fuss was about, but I now have a son and I have to make wise decisions to make life better for him. Therefore, I am now better prepared and have decided to vote for the party that I believe is best suited to take the Federation into the future.
However, be assured that that party is the one which displays Country Above Self, pride for our lovely Federation and leadership morals that can take St. Kitts and Nevis to a better and brighter tomorrow, not just for me and my son, but also for generations to come.
