By Makeida Antonio

My colleagues Kamalie Mannix, Malaica Joseph and I were on Observer Radio’s Voice of the People on February 26 to speak on how young people will be affected by the 2018 General Elections.

The issues that I would like to discuss in greater detail surround why people are so vocal about their disinterest in voting.

Firstly, I would like to have an objective conversation, but it is difficult to do so when current statistics are not easily accessible.

Yes, I took to Google! I searched “Antigua statistics 2017”. All I saw were figures indicating our performance in the tourism sector. It’s not a bad thing at all, I just wish that I was able to get figures together, so I can back up my chat with evidence. The most recent set of stats I was able to find on the Antigua and Barbuda’s Government Information and Services page were tourism figures from 2013. Nothing that reflects the amount of work that has been done in the various sectors by the current administration since 2014.

Political parties become excited when they see people flock to their events, but how many people in that crowd will vote? How many people in that crowd are aware of the Bills that have been passed in Parliament? How many of them are aware of the process of drafting a Bill and debating said Bill in both the Lower and Upper Houses? How many understand the ways in which that Bill will affect their lives? These are the things to explain on the campaign trail, not what one party did and did not do.

I was informed that the Electoral Commission closed off registration since January 31, 2018. A listener sent a WhatsApp saying that elections happen all the time and when each of us turns 18, it is our duty to become registered to vote. I do not disagree. However, I received a personal message while I was on air asking to speak about the disappointment of those turning 18 years old this year. They will have to wait another 4-5 years to have a say in their future.

I am not making excuses for those who are not registered. I am simply facilitating a dialogue on the implications of this situation. Look at another aspect of it. Kamalie noted that a lot of young people’s opinions of the political parties are molded by their parents. When I was outside of one political meeting, I heard a little girl asking her mother who she’s voting for and her mother said,

“Who? Me nah vote!”

If the parents are not voting, the young people will clearly not see the importance of voting.

I made a statement on air and I stand by it. Young people need to take more responsibility and keep up to date with current affairs. Regardless to if you think the news is slanted to favour a certain party, it is your duty as a citizen to inform yourself because there are so many radio stations which carry news packages, so many local and regional news resources online.

I am honestly not interested in who you are voting for because it is not my place to persuade anybody. But, I want you to ask yourself why you will be voting. Are you voting for an increase in the standard of healthcare? Are you voting for good governance? Are you voting for more job/education opportunities?

See, I don’t think people feel as though their vote matters and I am here to tell you that it does. Simply being aware of current affairs can help you to choose the best candidate and as soon as registrations reopen, don’t let another election catch you off-guard.

My name is Makeida Antonio. I’m a young Antiguan writer who’s passionate about sharing our culture with the world. Let’s start a conversation! Follow my blog at: https://wadadliwriter.wordpress.com/blog/