Labour Youth and Women hold Conferences

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE youth and women of the governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) met in separate conferences yesterday (May 16), ahead of today’s 77th Annual Labour Party Conference.

The Labour Women Power Breakfast and Symposium was held from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Royal St. Kitts Marriott and Royal Beach Casino. It was followed by the Young Labour Conference from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

At the Symposium, delegates discussed several pertinent issues facing women in the political arena, including the role of women in politics and the importance of campaign support. Deputy Speaker of the Trinidad and Tobago House of Representatives, the Hon. Penny Beckles was the guest speaker who spoke on the theme “Getting women comfortable with power”.

Beckles was followed by Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, who delivered a brief presentation outlining the various steps his government had taken to empower and strengthen women.

Douglas also made an appearance at the Young Labour Conference, where he was the featured speaker. While addressing the crowd of young persons, the Prime Minister highlighted his government’s contribution to youth development, particularly in the areas of education and housing. 

According to Douglas, under the previous PAM administration (1980-1995), only 21 loans and/or scholarships were given to local students desirous of pursuing tertiary education. However, he divulged that under the Labour government (1995-present day), 767 persons have been loan or scholarship beneficiaries, at a cost of over $84M.

Delegates were then separated into discussion groups centred on topics of “Counteracting negativity in the media”, “Marketing [their] candidate” and “The use of technology in campaigning”. They afterwards submitted their solutions and recommendations to the general body.

In wrapping up the day’s events, SKNLP candidate for Constituency Number Two, Marcella Liburd, deemed both conferences a success. She concurred with Douglas’ assertion that the SKNLP had done much to empower both women and young persons during its 14-year leadership tenure, and pointed to its ticket for the upcoming general elections as proof of that.

“The selection of two young men (Glen ‘Ghost’ Phillip and Dr. Norgen Wilson) as candidates (for Constituencies Four and Five, respectively) have been excellent for the Party. Not only does it emphasise the SKNLP’s commitment to youth empowerment, but it has also resulted in many young voters becoming attracted to the Party and being mobilised. 

“Young people are not the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today, and so it is good to see persons adhering to that ideology,” said Liburd.