Newly appointed Independent Senator Helon Francis already has his sights set on making representation for culture and youth.
At only 29 years old, the former calypso monarch was among four new Independent Senators to take their oath of office during yesterday’s ceremonial opening of Parliament.
Francis is set to be the youngest Independent Senator in the current Parliament session. The former Young King told Guardian Media that when the opportunity to serve Trinidad and Tobago came up, there was no ducking out.
“You don’t expect to get something so grand put onto you as a young man. But I’ve always been calm, I took it with baby steps. I thought about it first and I said there is no better time for me to represent my country or to serve,” Francis said.
Francis added that the appointment was surreal.
“I am still processing it, but this is really an honour for me,” he said.
An official correspondence issued by the Office of the President stated of Francis, “In addition to his singing career, Mr Francis devotes his time to developing skills and talents of artistic expression in young people and instructing students in physical fitness, sports, nutrition and the dangers of substance abuse.”
Francis himself told Guardian Media that his aim would be to present fresh perspectives to policymakers.
“As a young senator, especially with my cultural background, I think I have a role that the other senators may or may not have, which is to represent the young, the old, the community. I am at this point just really taking my time,” Francis said.
The newly appointed Independent Senator explained that President Christine Kangaloo’s maiden speech during the opening of the Fourth Session of Parliament, in which she called on politicians to unite in an effort to fight crime, had resonated with him.
“The President knows what she is talking about, she understands the country and where we are and she is giving the right words for all our politicians and all our people,” he said.
The other three newly appointed Independent Senators are Prof Gerard Hutchinson, Prof of Psychiatry and Unit Lead in the Psychiatry Unit of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine Campus; journalist, communications consultant and multimedia professional Sunity Maharaj, and Dr Sharda Patasar, a multi-disciplinary artist with a background in teaching, research and writing and music composition.
They will replace outgoing senators economist Amrita Deonarine, medical practitioner Dr Varma Deyalsingh, management consultant Charrise Seepersad and attorney Evans Welch.