Speech by PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar at opening of 3rd session of 10th Parliament

A good afternoon to you all and to you, Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity to address this Honourable House.

May I begin by thanking His Excellency the President for his advice and for his usual forthrightness in giving his overview of the coming year in the life of our Parliamentary democracy.

As honourable members will know, His Excellency’s address is the last official one he will make for the ceremonial opening of Parliament, having served the constitutionally permitted two terms as our Head of State.

While this closes another chapter in a life of service, I am sure that his deep interest in education, his long service to our great Republic and his dedication to the citizens of our nation will keep him involved in our progress and development.

As Prime Minister, I offer His Excellency our sincerest gratitude for his decade of service and thank him on behalf of all citizens for a remarkable tenure as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Your Excellency, we also wish you and Mrs Richards well as you continue in your life and work.

As we formally herald the start of the third session of the 10th Parliament, in a year when our nation heralds its Golden Jubilee of Independence, the Government has the pleasure of introducing new faces to the Legislative Arm.

We welcome Senator the Honourable Larry Howai, Minister of Finance and the Economy; Senator the Honourable Marlene Coudray, Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development; Senator the Honourable Jamal Mohammed, Minister of Communications, and Senator the Honourable Ganga Singh, Minister of Water Resources and the Environment.

These names require no formal introduction as each individual brings enormous knowledge and expertise which they have assured will be brought to bear on how we proceed with our vision for sustainable development.

To our new and returning Honourable Members, the nation has placed significant responsibilities on your shoulders and our citizens have high expectations of each and every one of us! These are both challenging and exciting times for those reposed with the responsibility of managing the affairs of a nation that is poised for great achievements.

To those who have departed from our Parliament, but remain in service to the people of our country, may I extend to them the nation’s sincerest gratitude for their loyal and devoted service. Their joint contribution has helped to place the Government in a far better position than when we arrived two years ago, and on a far more solid footing to now enter into another phase of progress to ensure that our nation prospers once again.

To former Senators, Brigadier John Sandy, Nicole Dyer-Griffith, Verna St Rose Greaves, and Danny Maharaj, I thank you for your contribution to our progress.

Mr Speaker, as we move into this third session of the 10th Parliament, reflection is important in planning the way forward. We have engaged in a number of debates, we have answered questions on time and to the best of our ability; we have argued, aggressively at times, and we have also at times found common ground where the Government and the Opposition have agreed on certain national issues.

The sacred tradition of Parliamentary democracy continues to be upheld and protected by my Government, and among all of us as Members, passionately demonstrated in the way we advocate on behalf of the citizens of our great nation.

I would even say Mr Speaker, through our diligent efforts to abide by the demands and rules of Parliament, in answering questions on time, in seeing debates through to the end and in upholding the values which underline our nationhood, we have set new standards for our Parliamentary democracy.

This is why, Mr Speaker, even in our zest to represent the interests of our citizens, we have remained fully aware of a nation looking on at us, listening to us and many times, holding us as examples of dignity and decorum.

As we begin this session of Parliament therefore, Mr Speaker, I ask that all Honourable Members hold rigidly to their oaths, while at the same time remain conscious of our responsibility to lead by example and conduct ourselves in a manner that will continue to earn the approval of our citizens.

Even as we argue with great passion, we must remain conscious of our great responsibility. Even as we disagree with vehement force, we must remain loyal to the expectations of our citizens to do what is right for our nation.

Indeed, even as we hold rigidly to opposite sides of the political divide, we must summon the maturity and the courage to act in a manner that serves the national interest over partisan interests.

Mr Speaker, at the age of 50, our independent nation has earned for itself a perception of progressive dynamism. Around the world, the majestic red, white and black has grown to become a symbol of innovativeness, creativity and an indomitable spirit of unity.

Everywhere I have travelled to and all of the people of other countries I have spoken with have expressed, in clear and unmistakable terms that Trinidad and Tobago must feel a sense of pride not only over the distance we have come, but also the manner in which we continue to march forward.

Mr Speaker, we are what some may call a young, but highly experienced nation. We have journeyed to the heights of achievements in sports, academics and various areas of professional expertise; we have triumphed against forces that attempted to unseat our democratic traditions; we have given music to the world, and we have set standards for how political stability can be maintained even in the most hostile battles.

Mr Speaker, as a nation, in a year that commemorates our resilience and admirable national character, we must be bold enough to acknowledge our strengths. And while I agree, we must do so with humility, we must also do so with a level of pride in our country.

It is for these reasons that I wish to express the solemn hope that even if we cannot agree, we disagree in a manner that still commands the respect of our citizens, and is befitting of a Parliamentary standard which must continue to stand strong and proud long after we are gone.

Because when we sit in this Chamber, Mr Speaker, I am very much aware of the fact that we represent the sum total of our nation’s aspirations; a nation which has come to a point of commemoration, but also recognizes that the accomplishments of history places on it demands for further progress.

As Prime Minister, it is my intention to make our democracy much stronger than we found in two years ago. And I will do this by acknowledging not so much the power that is in our hands, but rather the responsibility that rests on our shoulders.

In taking our responsibility seriously, our legislative agenda will see areas of particular focus as we intensify our war on crime and solidify the institutional processes and policies aimed at protecting the lives and wellbeing of our nation’s children.

We will also push forward with our commitment to reform the criminal justice system and introduce further measures that will enhance the capacity of the protective services to detect, solve and prevent crimes.

The Attorney General will bring to this Honourable House details of our legislative agenda and shed light on the multi-pronged attack on crime which will engage our attention.

However, let me say that our focus remains on ensuring that the victims of crime are afforded swift justice; the perpetrators of crime are made to feel the full weight of the law, and protective services are afforded the institutional and physical resources to carry out their duties.

We will also pursue, with invigorated focus, the important issues of social safety, the empowerment of citizens through ownership, equal opportunity and social justice, regional and international trade, and economic diversification.

The people of our country are most interested in sustainable solutions that will keep us moving forward from recovery into prosperity.

This is why, even an impatient and expectant population continues to appreciate and acknowledge that our mission to stabilise the economy has been achieved and that the right foundation has been set.

Now the time has come to restore the full strength and capacity of our economy, ensuring that each and every citizen stands to contribute and benefit, not just a privileged few.

Mr Speaker, when the national budget for 2013 is presented in this House, the nation will have a very clear view of the reform agenda we have undertaken, how we have progressed, and how we intend to move beyond “the corner” which the IMF recently acknowledged that we were able to turn.

Mr Speaker, having come almost half the way into our term, you will note that the Government itself has undergone something of a transformation.

For us to continue being the leaders of change, we must also be responsive to demands for change. It is for this reason that the Cabinet has given itself the space to continuously and critically assess itself and adapt to an increasingly dynamic environment.

The recent Cabinet reconfiguration has assembled experience, more appropriately with talent and the determination to deliver and these factors have enhanced our emphasis on achieving our vision of sustainable development.

As we move forward into our term of Government, we therefore proceed with greater confidence as well as a very clear understanding that the people of our nation demand more, demand better and are in a great hurry for progress.

As Members of Parliament, elected to serve the citizens, it is my hope that even as we maintain the energetic cut and thrust of adversarial politics that we all maintain at the core of our deliberations, the good and wellbeing of the people of our country.

Mr Speaker, the people of our nation have placed their faith and trust in us and I for one, as well as all Members of the Government, have every intention of living up to our responsibilities.

As members, we solemnly swore to uphold our constitution, implement policies that will benefit the people of our nation and build a social and economic machine that secures all.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, today, as we formally begin this session of Parliament, under the spotlight of a grand commemoration of our nation’s proud history, I solemnly swear to continue fulfilling my responsibility to the best of my ability, for the benefit of all the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr Speaker, I thank you!