To Gabriela Morris, serving her first term in the Jamaican Senate has not been unmanageable.

Seated on the side of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Morris is actually finding it a rewarding experience, blended with some challenging obstacles.

But how tough has it been for one who has her own business, and months away from finishing up a master’s degree in communication for social and behavioural change at Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, The University of the West Indies?

“It really takes some adaptation. It has taken me certainly outside of my comfort zone. As a young person, the Senate is usually reserved for, as my colleague senator would say, mature minds. But I believe that we are living in such a context where young people are equipped to be a part of any governance structure,” the former Montego Bay High School student said in a sit down with the Jamaica Observer early last week.

“The experience that we talk about in the 1980s, and even in the 1990s when I was a baby, young people are able to garner that. I have been able to use experiences to speak in the Senate.

However, does the Senate get far too cantankerous for her?

“It does at times, when the debates get heated,” was her swift response. “I see this new trend of going a bit further than just heated debates and it is a little bit concerning to me, as a young person coming in to politics, as a young person having visions of politics being more about the work that should be done for the people, rather than the grandstanding. It sometimes is a turn-off, and I am disappointed. I [want] just to see us doing the people’s business. But I am coming to appreciate the Senate as a place that is important for national discourse, important for reviewing a lot of the legislation that is put forward, I am seeing where legislation comes from the Lower House and it comes to the Senate and that’s where a lot of the work comes in to reviewing the work that we do there.

“Fortunately, I am surrounded by colleagues who are very nurturing, colleagues who have taken me up in arms and who have ensured that I am kept up to speed. I am happy to serve in the Senate with such learned people who I can learn from and draw on their experiences and it’s not just on my side, definitely not. I am able to learn from colleague senators on the other side. They are very gracious, and very welcoming. Even at times when we speak and the other side will have an issue, it has never gone outside of the debate and I am happy for that.

“I don’t think I have taken on the confrontational style of political discourse. For me it’s about the facts, just getting the message across, and speaking on behalf of the people,” Morris said.

The question, too, may be asked why she has opted for politics when abuse for officials in that field is so prevalent.

“It certainly takes a lot of confidence for any young elected or appointed representative, to step into the arena, and especially when you are a woman it takes more confidence, a lot of gall to step up,” she responded.

“When I sometimes see the contention and the vitriol that representatives are faced with, it does become daunting at times, but thankfully I am always reminded of my purpose and the vision that I have for Jamaica and I am thankful always for the people who help to keep me grounded, for the people who keep me anchored, for the people who remind me that there is so much more that can be done for the Jamaican people.

“But it’s up to me being a part of the next generation It’s up to other young Members of Parliament to take the mantle and move forward, despite the obstacles that we are facing, despite the backlash. It will all be worth it that’s what comforts me,” Morris said.

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