THIRD-YEAR communication studies major at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Kelron Bellot is on a quest to realise his childhood dream of becoming a politician in his home country, St Maarten.

Bellot, who is vying to become a Member of Parliament under the recently launched Christophe Emmanuel-led Nation, Opportunity, Wealth (NOW) party, told the Jamaica Observer that since Barrack Obama became the first president of colour of the United States of America in 2008, he has developed a deep passion for representational politics.

“I loved the way black people were happy when Obama won, and the pride they developed. I want to represent people in that light as Obama did. My aspiration for being in politics has been stuck on my bedroom wall since the age of seven. I have dedicated my time and energy ever since to become an action-driven [individual] for the people, and an ethical politician,” said Bellot.

The Sint Maartener, who also shares heritage with St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica through his parents, expressed great enthusiasm when the NOW party leader confirmed his bid.

“I felt honoured, filled with joy and eager to get to work, because I was called upon to represent the people of Sint Maarten. The party and I were already having discussions and making plans, so when I received confirmation that the approval and vetting process was complete, and that the party found me as a suitable candidate, I was placed straight to work, and I hit the ground running.

“It has always been a dream of mine and it finally seems as though all the mentorship, counselling, public speaking, debating, and involvement in my community will finally be put to good use,” added Bellot.

The junior student said his studies at NCU will play an integral role in his political campaign.

“A degree in communications prepares you for all aspects of the media and communicating effectively anywhere… With my emphasis in PR [public relations], I am learning how to market myself and whatever organisation I represent through old and new media.

“As an aspiring politician in this day and age, I need to get my message out there in the most effective way possible for people to see and relate to. Also, I can safely say even without working with a team, I can do content creation, graphic designing, write hard news, press releases, plan events, market myself and hold analytical and constructive conversations, which will be beneficial throughout this political journey,” Bellot told the Observer.

The soca and calypso lover also believes that a public figure must be versed in public speaking and debating.

His participation in several local and regional competitions has prepared him well to articulate his vision to his prospective electorate. In 2018, he was crowned best youth speaker in the #HearMeToo Debate Competition in Sint Maarten. Bellot also served as class president at the Methodist Agogic Center Comprehensive Secondary Education.

Additionally, he was mentored by sitting ministers and former Members of Parliament throughout his teenage life.

Bellot has already carved out his areas of priority focus in the hope of convincing the voters to give him a chance. These include developing avenues for youth involvement and representation in all aspects of the Sint Maarten society; formulating a national advancement plan for the education system to ensure quality and globally recognised education; increasing job opportunities for young people on the island with or without tertiary level qualification; increasing wages, including subsidies and vacation allowances for teachers; developing the national identity of the Sint Maarten’s culture, which is rich and diverse; developing a maintenance policy for public housing and creating more housing units; developing an information systems sector that provides more information on Sint Maarteners’ operations; and alleviating tax burden on the elderly.

According to Bellot, he has learnt many lessons from Jamaica that he hopes to implement in his home country if he is elected.

“I’ve been studying in Jamaica for the past three years and keeping up with the current affairs of this country. Throughout my time here, I have grown fond of the cultural consistency in Jamaica. Jamaican people know who they are and are not afraid to show their uniqueness. This is evident in their music, food, dress, language, amongst other things.

“Through research and interaction with friends and classmates, I found out that one of the leading factors to this cultural constituency was that Jamaicans are taught their history and cultural heritage in schools and have programmes through which they can express what they have learned. This is not something that is present in Sint Maarten and would be very instrumental in preserving our culture, if adopted,” said Bellot.

He also highlighted that Jamaica has several initiatives that give young people the opportunity to develop various skills in leadership, advocacy, and public speaking. He stated that Sint Maarten needs more avenues for young people to be involved.

“Tertiary educational wise, Jamaica is a cut above many other Caribbean countries. Students in Jamaica don’t have to take a flight to get an education, and that is something that I believe that Sint Maarten should look into more seriously and provide attractive tertiary programmes for our people,” he argued.

Bellot said that the struggles he and his family endured made him realise that his sole purpose is to help as many people as possible no matter where they are from or what they have experienced.