Eighteen-year-old Khaleel Kothdiwala will not be a Senator.
In a media release on Saturday, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley stated there was “clear indication by Independent senators that they would not have supported the measure”.
At last Friday’s sitting, leader of Government Business, Senator Lisa Cummins adjourned debate on the constitutional motion when it became evident that the required two-thirds majority vote would not have been achieved.
The bill before the chamber sought to not only enable an 18-year-old to serve in the chamber, but also to provide for the appointment of two senators nominated by the party securing the second highest number of votes in the preceding election.
Mottley met today with Kothdiwala and said “dis-appointing him was one of the most difficult acts of my tenure to date as Prime Minister of Barbados”.
PM Mottley lamented, “It is unfortunate that in the midst of global turmoil with respect to youth in crisis, Barbados finds itself at a point where embracing young people and youthful leadership is clearly still beyond its imagination.
In publically addressing the matter, Kothdiwala issued a statement via social media to residents and citizens of Barbados. He said, “Many of you have reached out to me since yesterday and I appreciated the kindness of all of the sentiments. The reality is that life doesn’t take place in a straight line and I have always been keenly aware of that.
I will reflect upon the arguments related to the amendments in due time. But for right now, I feel the following is most important:
When the Prime Minister announced her intention to pursue this course of action back in January, I indicated that I was humbled that I was considered to serve, conscious of what it meant, not for me, but for the scores of young people who hear daily that neither they nor their persepctives matter. Regrettably however, events at this time have not transpired as many might have hoped they would.
But what this episode does not change is that there is still a government in office which is completely committed to advancing the youth agenda and to creating an equitable and sustainable future, for which young people will be the primary beneficiaries.
What this does not change is that there is still a Government side in the Senate that is for the first time in history completely gender balanced, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to gender equity, and that equally there is representation of the differently abled community, whose perspective and contribution is as important as any other.
What this does not change is that there are still four Senators in particular who are outstanding young people, and whose contributions have made and will continue to make this country proud. I refer specifically to:
Senator Dr. Crystal Haynes, who takes her legislative duties extremely seriously and applies herself with aplomb, and whose work in both medicine and philanthropy is a credit to this nation;
Senator Lorenzo Harewood, a formidable advocate for sustainable development, who has been in trenches for some time literally walking the walk;
Senator Shanika Roberts Odle, one of the most hardworking and dedicated persons you could meet who is deeply passionate about our country; and
Senator Andwele A. O. Boyce , a remarkable young man whose many achievements are proof positive of the capacity of persons with disabilities.
Indeed, every other member on the Government side is eminently capable and committed to the rebuilding and transformation of this country.
To young people, be not disheartened by recent events. The above clearly shows how bright the future is, for when you have persons of such extraordinary vision and capacity in the Senate and Government, generally, there is so much to be hopeful about.
The journey of redressing those historical silences and imbalances has been long, and we are not yet at the destination, but every day, young people across this country are making phenomenal strides in various fields demonstrating that whether or not space and seats are provided, young people will boldly forge forward, convicted that it is absolutely the right and deserved thing to do. I salute those young people today.
How can a person feel anything but sheer joy and anticipation that at this moment in history we have in Barbados an intersection of outstanding, visionary political leadership, as well as a deep well of young talent from which to draw. The future of this country remains as bright as ever, if only we work together.”