AT least 50 young professionals have been put forward as candidates for this Thursday’s local government elections by the youth affiliates of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in an apparent effort to inject fresh, young intellect into Jamaica’s political system, seen by many as dominated for too long by old, tired minds.

The candidates, who range in age from mid-20s to mid-30s, include men and women who are teachers, scientists, pastors, business owners and computer technicians, as well as farmers, secretaries and store clerks.

They, according to organisers of G2K (the young professionals arm of the JLP) and the PNP Youth Organisation (PNPYO), represent the future of Jamaican politics.

“Since the general elections, we have been carrying our principles to the highest levels, and as you can see, we have G2K members in the Senate, and in Parliament, so now we would like to have people at the community level carrying our message there,” said G2K president Ronald Robinson.

He said that among the G2K member candidates were luminaries such as award-winning scientist, Andrew Wheatley.

The JLP affiliate body has been continuously recruiting since last October, launching chapters in each parish and working with student organisations in the island’s tertiary institutions. The increased level of participation, said G2K vice-president and national organiser, Ian Hayles, is part of the organisation’s wider aim to recruit young, bright, committed persons to politics, to infuse the party with talented individuals from all walks of life.

“In November, our president, Dr Robinson, said that he wanted to bring G2K, not just to uptown Jamaicans, but to the people — to Jamaicans who live in the inner city, Jamaicans who live in rural areas, Jamaicans at all social and economic levels,” Hayles told the Sunday Observer. “What we’re doing is creating a database throughout every parish, so that the day the Labour Party becomes government, you have young professionals who can step in and fill the critical positions within government and, at the same time, contribute to this country.”

But although G2K is widening its net, the group’s executive has always been very decided about the calibre of candidates they would put forward.

“You have to be someone who is in touch with the community, people focused, and someone who is passionate about rebuilding the country,” said Hayles. “G2K is not about profiling. A G2K candidate has to be ready to work long and hard with people, has to know the issues, and must bring management capabilities to the table. We have insisted that our candidates have an understanding of fiscal prudence — you don’t need to be an economist — but each candidate has to know what is going on in the country, understand current issues and yet know how to solve problems within the constituency.”

For the PNPYO, fielding candidates at the local level is just part of the tradition of that organisation, which counts government ministers Dr Peter Philips and Donald Buchanan among those who made the successful transition to representational politics.

“The YO has always been an area to groom people who want to catapult into the wider arena of politics,” said Kirk Johnson, the national organiser. “As such, the present crop of persons, though they may be younger and larger in number at any one time, simply represent a generation that is more eager and cognisant of their role and need to participate in the nation’s development.”

Younger persons, he said, need to participate actively in governance “and we think that at the community level, it is the perfect place to start. A lot of the challenges that we face as a country have to do with young people, so young people would be better able to understand and articulate the problems of young people”.

The PNPYO, Johnson explained, assigned one member to each of the 227 candidates, to be on the campaign teams, to assist “in directing the campaign from a youth perspective”. In addition, the PNPYO, he said, would be conducting targeted support for candidates in 70 divisions across the island, ostensibly to offer support for candidates to connect with the youth.

“Sixty per cent of the population registered to vote is considered to be youth, and it is important that we recognise that, and not just recognise it but act accordingly to show some respect and concern for that, by reflecting that in each and every campaign,” he said.