Newly-sworn-in MP Jurendy Doran (centre) with his parents Egbert Doran and Henrietta Doran-York, his twins Sachedy and Shaeden Doran, his siblings and campaign team outside the Governor’s Cabinet.
SUCKER GARDEN–He is the youngest Member of Parliament taking the oath eight days shy of his 26th birthday, but that is not the only bit of history Jurendy Doran of the National Alliance (NA) brings to the legislature.
Doran is following in the footsteps of his mother Henrietta Doran-York, who served as an MP in the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles and as St. Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague.
The young MP’s entry into Parliament marks the first time a child of St. Maarten has followed a parent into the legislature.
Doran took the oath of office before Governor Eugene Holiday on Easter Monday along with the other 14 MPs of the country’s fourth Parliament in less than eight years.
His milestone was celebrated on Monday evening in the Upper Prince’s Quarter Community Centre, the same place he announced his candidacy some three months ago.
Thanking God, his family and supporters at the reception, Doran said, “I will be your voice in Parliament. That will not change. I will represent you to the best of my ability.”
He vowed to have a more inclusive approach to his role as a parliamentarian. One step to this is the establishment of a regular public day during which residents can meet him face-to-face to discuss concerns and issues.
“The only way you can find out the ills of this country is speaking to the people. You cannot assume what the problems are,” Doran said.
Explaining the credo on his campaign flyers – “Country above self” – he said, “I want to push that message.”
Proud mother Doran-York said the people of St. Maarten “win when we get people who want to work for them.”
She is confident that her son will work in the best interest of the country, as his credo states “country above self.” He will also vote for laws and issues that “are in the best interest of the people” whether along party lines or not.
Prior to taking up his post as a MP, Doran worked as the Information Technology Manager at the Pointe Blanche prison, an institution at which his mother was also once employed.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75263-youngest-mp-follows-in-mother-s-footsteps
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