Khaleel Kothdiwala is set to become the youngest member of Barbados’ Senate, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced earlier tonight as she closed her address on day two of the Barbados Labour Party’s annual general conference.
Mottley said she will advise President, the Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic to appoint him. “So young man, we wish you all the best,” she said to loud applause under a large tent at the St George Secondary School.
He will fill the vacancy left by Senator Roshanna Trim, who is taking up diasporic affairs duties in the United Kingdom. Mottley thanked Trim for her contribution to the Senate, the League of Young Socialists and the party.
The appointment honours a manifesto pledge to name three people under 35 to the Senate. Kothdiwala will join Shane Archer and Janeil Odle.
Mottley noted that he would reach retirement in 2076, “God willing,” and said she hoped he would remember it all began at St George Secondary. “This is what continuity and building strength must look like in this party,” she said.
She framed the announcement as part of a wider call for the party to renew itself by opening doors to younger people while experienced members can still guide them.
Mottley first announced plans to nominate Kothdiwala in January 2022, when he was 18, but the constitution then required senators to be at least 21. A youth activist and commentator, he has been active in Barbadian civic and political discourse since his early teens. (BA)