Falklands : Motion for Adjournment Speech: The Hon Mrs Sharon Halford
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 19.07.2011 (Article Archived on 02.08.2011)
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, Now that we have eventually been able to make this meeting of Legislative Assembly after waiting for the Island Games to finish and then the weather to clear to allow flying, I must say that never before have I had to get up in the middle of the night to attend such a meeting..
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 14 JULY 2011
(Part 2: Motion for Adjournment Speeches)
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
The Hon Mrs Sharon Halford:
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, Now that we have eventually been able to make this meeting of Legislative Assembly after waiting for the Island Games to finish and then the weather to clear to allow flying, I must say that never before have I had to get up in the middle of the night to attend such a meeting..
That said, now I welcome the Honourable Mike Summers to this Assembly and look forward to him working with us in continuing to do what we believe to be in the best interests of the Falklands and its people, whilst taking the Islands forward. I am sure we will have many challenges ahead; and not all decisions will be easy to make.
Brigadier Aldridge has recently arrived in the Islands. I would like to welcome him to this Assembly also. I am sure that many of my Camp constituents will look forward to meeting you over the coming months as you travel around the Islands familiarising yourself with our country whilst at the same time enjoying our spectacular scenery and wildlife and experiencing our friendly hospitality.
I would like to take this opportunity in thanking all our participants who took part in the Island Games and represented the Islands overseas and also congratulate them for the results they achieved. A thank-you must also go to the many supporters who managed to attend the games, too and no doubt were a boost to the morale of the participants.
As we recently have had a by-election, I would now like to make a few comments on the election process. I was not involved in any way in this election as living out in Camp I was unable to vote for a member of the Stanley Constituency; a point worth considering later this year when we will be making a decision as to whether or not to remain two constituencies we currently have or whether we should change to one. With one constituency we would all be able to vote for all Members and will therefore perhaps have a greater choice. I say perhaps as after hearing some of the comments flying around in the run-up to this election. It made me wonder why anyone would want to stand in the first place and if anyone would consider it in the future.
This is not the first time that we have heard this kind of rhetoric at election time. But take a step back and think seriously. What would you do if no one were to stand and where would we be then?
We regularly hear from people who know exactly what we should be doing in some areas and how we could be doing better in others. It does therefore pose the question as to why the critics did not themselves come forward and stand for election.
The turn-out on election-day could have been better, too. But I suspect that by not voting many people thought they were making a point. I take a different view. If you are not prepared to put yourself forward for election or to vote, in other words, stand up and be counted, then how can you reasonably criticise the whole process and what follows on from it.
We have spent considerable sums on education over the years and have many well educated and trained youngsters returning who will hopefully one day consider taking up the political baton to take our country forward. Before they do this they will no doubt think long and hard about it as it is a huge commitment to make. And, probably candidates at an election do not always realise this until after the event when, if they are lucky, they have won and reality kicks in.
Although it is an honour to be elected and serve your country, it can at times also be a thankless task, as no matter how hard you work or whatever you do it is impossible to please everyone all of the time.
I would like to add my support to what the Honourable Gavin Short has said in relation to recruitment. As I will be heading home after this, I think it appropriate to mention the state of the MPA Road, which is much criticised especially at this time of the year. Those of us who use it often are aware that it can change on a daily basis and know that the winter months are not when it is at its best. However, I do think we should be very grateful to the Highways section for their hard work in keeping the road graded and maintained when weather permits, as it did recently when they achieved excellent results.
We seem to be very good at moaning and complaining but not very good at saying thank-you or “well done.”
Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.
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