However, mere minutes into his keynote presentation, it was easy to see that the Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary in The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism was no ordinary attendee.
For about half hour, the Nassau native, had everyone, including host Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith, hanging on to his every word.
It was a riveting presentation, in which he detailed his rise to political office and urged other young people throughout the Caribbean to put themselves forward to serve their communities and countries.
He said that for those not interested in politics, there are other areas of natioI took it as a joke, until I was courted by the leaders of a major political party in my country.
“In 2016, I was nominated as a political candidate, and, by the end of 2016, I was ratified as the youngest candidate in the history of The Bahamas. In the elections of May 10 of this year, at age 22, I became the youngest member of parliament in the history of The Bahamas and the Caribbean,” Robinson said.
As to why he decided to enter politics at such a young age, he noted that “as a young man in my early 20s, I am at the height of mental and physical energy and vitality, and I want to give the best years of my life in service to my country. Why should I wait until I am 45 or 55, when I am older and more tired, to serve my country?”
Robinson said he learned early that in preparing for leadership, “I had to don the outward attire of leadership,” noting the importance of having a well-groomed appearance.
He said that being an effective communicator is also key. “While we all have…our special dialects and patois, it is critical that we become fluent at switching codes where necessary and slip seamlessly into articulating English to convey our ideas,” he pointed out.
Robinson’s advice for young people who aspire to be leaders but who may be dismayed about their current circumstance is: “Don’t downgrade your dreams to match your reality, but, rather, upgrade your faith to match your destiny.”
A former junior minister of tourism, he is a university student and founder of the Rising Star organization, which is designed to train, empower and equip young boys to become world changers.
