‘We must inspire voters to trust us’

Restoring confidence in political leadership emerged as a central theme as Friends of Democracy candidates canvassed constituents in Dodds Land, St Philip, where residents voiced frustrations about feeling unheard and under-represented.

Karina Goodridge, the party’s president and candidate for St Philip West, emphasised the need to rebuild the electorate’s faith in their representatives before addressing infrastructure and crime concerns.

“I believe that we need to build confidence back into the voters and assure them that everybody is not the same,” Goodridge said.

“We need to build our people first before we even go onto the road infrastructure and crime and what’s not. There needs to be a confidence where people believe that they can trust representatives again in the country.”

The canvass, which included Goodridge, St Philip North candidate Anya Lorde, and other party members, revealed widespread concerns about the absence of meaningful political engagement in the constituency.

Goodridge noted that in St Philip West, many residents complained about inadequate representation, with youth unemployment emerging as a particularly pressing issue.

“The youth are crying out that they need more assistance. Many of them are still unemployed,” she stated. 

“What I find is that they are willing to support us, but they just want to be heard by somebody who is going to represent them nationally.”

Despite being a relatively new political entity, the Friends of Democracy reported positive recognition among residents. Goodridge said many people they encountered during canvassing had heard about the party and were supportive of its efforts, particularly wishing candidate Lorde well in her political endeavours.

Lorde echoed concerns about representation, sharing that constituents wanted more visible and accessible political leaders.

“People want to see representation that is present. They want the representatives to come out more,
to have conversations with them,” Lorde said.

She highlighted the lack of community activities and recreational spaces, particularly for the elderly and young children. Many seniors expressed interest in sharing their knowledge with younger generations but lacked appropriate venues for such intergenerational engagement, she said.

The party is already taking proactive steps to address these concerns. Lorde noted they were developing a manifesto that included concrete proposals such as establishing food banks.

“Although we are not yet in power, we do have a manifesto and we do have proposals,” she said.

The party has been engaging farmers and aspiring agriculturalists to explore how they might supply these food banks. Additionally, they’ve been in discussions with landowners about making use of underutilised spaces for community benefit through mutually beneficial partnerships. (DDS)

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