Because young Bahamians accounted for more than 30 per cent of the voters in the May 7 General Election the government has decided to include their suggestions in its decision making process as it charts the way forward.
Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis told the Bahama Journal Sunday that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has taken note of the many issues affecting young Bahamians and realises just how important it is to include them in decisions.
As a result, the government has committed itself to utilising their ideas.
“It’s critical that young Bahamians become a part of our governance. We recognise that between the ages of 18 and 25 they made up a bulk of our voting populace in excess of 30 per cent and so we want them to be included. We want the institutional arms of our government, in every aspect, to at least be represented by the percentile proportionately,” Mr. Davis said.
While attending the PLP’s Progressive Young Liberals (PYL) executive officers installation ceremony, Mr. Davis revealed that the youth arm of the party will play a key role in carrying out a specific mandate for the party.
“We are attempting to sensitise the youth of our nation to what the PLP is all about. It is to ensure that they get involved in the governance of our country and the PYL will be the vehicle through which we ensure this happens. Our youth arm will allow us to be kept informed about issues relative to young Bahamians and how best we can address their needs,” Mr. Davis said.
He noted that the government has already identified two major issues affecting young Bahamians.
“First of all, there is a question of access to education and job opportunities. Those are the things that are critical to them and mean something to them, so we are addressing those needs. We are here to listen and the PYL will provide us with all the tools we need to get the job done,” Mr. Davis said.
Thirteen new executive officers were officially installed to their new positions.
Newly installed PYL Chairman D’Asante Beneby told the Bahama Journal that she is elated that the government has decided to include young Bahamians in its process of governance.
“It is the job of the PYL to ensure that the voice of young Bahamians is constantly heard and it is also important for us to implement programmes which support our government’s mandate. So through the different portfolios of economic empowerment and education we hope to develop and further enhance our youth to become involved. Whether Free National Movement (FNM), Democratic National Alliance (DNA), or PLP supporters, we invite all Bahamians to get involved and take part in the programmes which will empower them,” Ms. Beneby said.
In an effort to specifically target the pressing issues of access to education and job opportunities, Ms. Beneby revealed that the PYL has crafted an action plan to address those needs.
“We will be hosting a various number of think tank sessions and discussion groups. These will be coupled with leadership and economic empowerment workshops. We will also host more summits to provide all of our areas with resources,” she said.
“Through our Urban Renewal 2.0 programme we will be implementing a tutoring programme, which will focus on math and English to further enhance and support the PLP mandate to improve the literacy and innumeracy rate.”
