McKenzie sees potential politicians in youth mayors

WESTERN BUREAU:

After listening to the high-quality presentations by the youngsters who participated in the ‘Youth Mayors Forum’ at the Trelawny Municipal Corporation building in Falmouth on Tuesday, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie thinks that some of the participants possess the qualities to become politicians.

The event, which was part of the activities for the 2021 Local Government Community Month, saw the youngsters showing off their versatility and knowledge in speaking about national issues, which had McKenzie quite attentive and impressed.

“With the quality of your presentations, I will be very disappointed if in 10 years some of you are not involved in the political process, at least at the local government level,” McKenzie said in lauding the youngsters for the suggestions they made on how to handle various national issues.

According to him, governance at the local government level is critically important as it is at that level that the very good leaders at the higher level hone their skills and develop a greater appreciation of what it means to be really close to the people.

“It is that aspect of government which gets closest to the people. It is no chaka chaka representation. Marcus Garvey, Alexander Bustamante, Hugh Shearer, Portia Simpson Miller all served in local government,” said McKenzie, in speaking to the climb some of the persons made from the local level to the highest political office in Jamaica.

According to him, he will be going through and reviewing the various presentations as he intends to see how he could use some of the suggestions made to implement policy changes in some areas of governance.

“An outstanding mention was that of mental health. It is not lost on me how COVID-19 has affected the youth,” said McKenzie. “One of the greatest victims of the COVID-19 pandemic is the education sector; the youngsters have had their mental capacity tested.”

McKenzie said he will be using the suggestion made as it relates to technology, Internet connectivity, social housing, roads and water supply as part of a pool of ideas to effect necessary changes for the benefit of the people.

He also stated that going forward, more programmes will be implemented to help develop youngsters to become future nation-builders.

“In six parishes there will be rural development programme established to expand Internet connectivity, lights, water and road,” said McKenzie, who noted that the Social Development Commission will be a part of the process based on its involvement at the community level.