Annisette-George: Our 'today' is in good hands

JABARRI SUPERVILLE

Speaker of the House Bridgid Mary Annisette-George said the future of Caribbean politics looks bright. Annisette-George, who gave the vote of thanks at the 15th Regional Youth Parliamentary Debate Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, encouraged the debaters and said she was “very happy” with their performance. “You are all winners. The future augurs well for you all. The youth is our today and our today is in very good hands,” she said.

President of the Senate Christine Kangaloo called the debate “insightful” and said the speeches were “well researched” and delivered with ease. She called the topic of the debate, which was “Securing our borders to mitigate the effects of crime whilst striving to meet our humanitarian obligations,” extremely relevant and thanked the debaters for their courage.

“Some of you were ruthless with your use of Standing Order 44:10. It was either ruthless or well planned strategy,” Kangaloo said. “Your poise and self control was commendable,” she said as she encouraged the debaters to continue pursuing the “path of consciousness.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives of Grenada Michael Pierre said the debaters “showed honesty,” which there is “not much” of in politics nowadays. He commended the debaters on their confidence during the debate. “I was very happy with the level of debate. The region is in good hands,” he said.

The debate, held at Parliament Chamber, Port of Spain, was attended by Youth Government debaters from countries such as St Christopher and Nevis, the Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda and TT. Debaters Jayson Braynen, who held the role Opposition Member, and India Wells, who was the Minister of Works and Transport, both from the Bahamas, were awarded as the third and second place debaters, respectively.

Halle Teart of Bermuda, who was crowned the top debater, assumed the role of Minister of Rural Development and Local Government. Teart said the entire debate was a “really great” experience and that though her win came as a surprise to her, she was honoured. “I think it was an interesting topic that can be applied to Bermuda as well, not just Trinidad,” she said.

The debate was followed by a reception for all participants held at the President’s House, St Ann’s.