Stop posturing to young people!

One of the youngest candidates vying for a seat in Parliament in the coming General Election is calling out Prime Minister Mia Mottley and members of her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) for posturing in an attempt to capture the youth vote.

And Christ Church East Central candidate for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Rasheed Belgrave is demanding respect on behalf of the youth in Barbados and not only when it is politically expedient. Addressing a large crowd at the Wayne Daniel pavilion in Brereton, St. Philip at the launch of the DLP’s manifesto on Thursday night, the political hopeful was unapologetic as he made it clear that the youth are not tokens.

“Simply put, we have a say in policy, decision-making and that is all that should matter to us. For years, we did not have any sa voice,” he maintained.

Referring to a recent viral video of Mottley and St. Michael South Central incumbent Marsha Caddle dancing to Caddle’s campaign song, a cover of Bajan dancehall star LR’s Chargie, Belgrave criticized Mottley for her blistering statements last year regarding artists with similar music on the controversial Trojan rhythm. At the time, these artists including Mole, Lil Rick and Peter Ram were criticized for what some people characterized as their promotion of gun violence through the music. Some of the artists were made to issue public apologies and lost sponsorship deals.

“They criticized the artists who ‘dropped’ songs on the Trojan rhythm, Brutal, CHiief Diin, Quan De Artist, Lil, Rick, Peter Ram. They criticized the artists and say they promoting gun violence but I watch a clip with the same government minister talking about ‘when my chargie step’ . We know the original lyrics to the song; we young. We ain’t ‘stepping wid no brave heart’.”

The original lyrics say: “Anywhere me step, me chargie gine step ‘cause he stepping wid an AR [assault rifle]. Big long glock in my pocket. . . .”

Belgrave continued: “But you condemn the artists and tell the artists they promoting gun violence, what kind of disrespect is that? You should be supporting the artists and helping to get them to a place like Rihanna. Help them to get to a place, don’t condemn them.

If you listen to these artists, ChiIef Diin said in his song, ‘You let me down when I wanted support, stand firm and never fall but I believe in myself’. That sound like gun lyrics? Like it promoting gun violence? Music is an art, it is a reflection of society.”

In his presentation Belgrave, a former footballer and now president of the Wotton football club, highlighted the possibility of economic prosperity through sports and he outlined several of his party’s initiatives for this sector. The main plan is to create a national sports policy. In addition to dealing with all administrative issues surrounding sports people, thereby allowing them more time to hone their skills, the DLP propose that every community has a sports facility, more than just a playing field, so that youth can access them daily. This he believed, would encourage them to become better at sports. On top of that, a DLP government will provide adequate maintenance and management of these facilities.

“That would take the burden off coaches and management. It will be a burden on the state but the state will reap rewards in creating a strong youth quartet of good and skillful players. The policy will be structured in a way to ensure that the overall objective, that is our young people can use sports as a viable and lucrative career path, [can be achieved]. Additionally, to provide mechanisms to address and raise awareness of issues pertaining to mental health and emotional well-being,” he said.

“ . . . Actually having facilities to engage in sports and become dynamic, pragmatic and skillful and have so much talent that by the time scouts come . . . we would be shipping them out, exporting this talent across borders wide and far. Provide a path to achieve and have an opportunity to have lucrative career. . . . What we want to do is to get our young people into those avenues to make money. There is no time for pretty words and articulation, we getting straight to the point.,” said Belgrave. (KC)