Jason Peterson youngest
candidate on NA slate
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) launched yet another new candidate on Sunday on its slate for the April 20 Island Council elections. Jason Peterson (26) probably will be the youngest candidate for the upcoming elections, NA leader William Marlin said.
“I’m a person of few words, but straight to the point. I’m a man of my word,” Peterson said about himself.
Peterson was born and raised in St. Maarten. He graduated in the Netherlands and has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business. He is working in the private sector and although a youngster himself, he is not only interested in issues concerning the youth, Marlin said.
Peterson explained that his decision to run for public office had to do with the neglect and injustice he had noticed since he had been working in St. Maarten. “I’m ready to make that change of the future,” he said.
In his speech Peterson gave an overview of the major issues on which he would be campaigning. These include labour issues, youth education, youth employment and incentives for young entrepreneurs.
According to Peterson, employment of illegal immigrants should be eradicated. He said certain employers took advantage of illegal foreign workers who were willing to work for little or nothing. “This in turn takes away from the average working person,” Peterson said.
Concerning the upbringing of the St. Maarten youth, Peterson concludes that nowadays children are being brought up by the television. In addition, parents don’t receive help anymore from the community on the whole with the upbringing of their children.
“The community doesn’t care anymore for the upbringing of the children. Those times when they did won’t come back, but alternatives can be sought such as more educational after-school activities keeping children off the streets,” he said.
Peterson also made a case for more youth job fairs and programmes. “We must educate them on the job opportunities and demands of the labour market in St. Maarten. We need to educate and inform them about what steps need to be taken to pursue those jobs in question.”
More school counsellors and making subjects such as political structure and history mandatory is another issue Peterson believes needs to be addressed. “Schools are overpopulated and it’s an overwhelming task to think that teachers have to simultaneously educate and counsel the youth.” By employing more school counsellors, Peterson believes the stress on the teachers will be relieved, allowing them to focus on task at hand.
According to him, young people have also no clue about the political history that formed the foundation of St. Maarten. “Political structure and history should be mandatory in our educational system. How can we know where we are heading if we don’t even know where we come from?” Peterson said.
Finally, Peterson said he would make himself strong for having subsidies to help young entrepreneurs accomplish their dreams. “There are lot of youngsters with ideas for an own business. But they don’t have the financial means to realise this,” Peterson said.
St Maarten vacation rental
