Thompson insists constitutional change was not about a single person

Government Senator Elizabeth Thompson is hoping that with sober reflection, the Independent senators who took a stance against the move which sought to have an 18-year-old sit in the Upper Chamber will see the bigger picture.

As she spoke during the Appropriation Bill, 2022 on the matter which has dominated public debate in recent days, the Deputy President said it is regrettable that those senators did not see the value of having a youth voice in the Upper Chamber.

She insisted that the objective behind the move was to allow Barbadians, from the age of 18, to be able to contribute to the broadening of the country’s democracy and the national discourse

Senator Thompson suggested that her colleagues did not think that value was to be found in hearing the youth’s perspective on the formulation of policy, and on issues which are currently affecting them and will shape their future.

“I hope that with sober reflection over time, a majority of us will come to see that this was not about a single individual with a particular name. It was opening a space for youth in the broadening of our democratic process that allows us to say to them ‘you are important’.

“This is no longer the era of being seen and not heard. We see you, we are creating the space for you to be seen and we want to hear what you have to say to us because your perspective is important and you are our future and we honour that future by giving you a seat in this sacred place,” she said.

A release from the prime minister’s office last weekend said that Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley was disheartened by the fact that the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution to lower the age of eligibility to sit in the Upper Chamber from 21, was not achieved last week.

It meant that 18-year-old Khaleel Kothdiwala would not be able to take the proposed seat in the Senate. According to the release the Prime Minister opted not to pursue her bid to have the teenager appointed as a result of the clear indication by the independent senators that they would not support the amending of the Constitution.

“It was never about a single individual. It was about giving young people a space. And yes, there are 18-year-olds who would have been immature, but surely across the breadth of this land in the quality of our educational system could we not find 18-year-olds who can make contributions of the highest quality? Greta Thunberg [Swedish environmental activist] is not 18 yet. The young lady who spoke at one of the earth conferences was barely 13 or so when she spoke.

“We can identify teenagers across the globe who are contributing to macro discussion, macro policy evolution, who are making contributions not just at the national and regional, but at the global level. Surely one of ours should have been allowed to do the same. What is the point of educating our children and then saying to them these discussions are too high for you, you go along and sit down and let big people talk?” she said.
anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb