Falklands : Legislative Assembly Meeting Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 11.11.2009 (Article Archived on 25.11.2009)
Photo (c) J. Brock (FINN)Left to right (Back): Mrs Jan Cheek, Mr Bill Luxton, Mr Gavin Short, Mr Glenn Ross and Mr Roger Edwards Left to right (Bottom): Miss Emma Edwards, Mr Dick Sawle, And Mrs Sharon Halford
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Commentary by J. Brock (FINN)
Left to right (Back): Mrs Jan Cheek, Mr Bill Luxton, Mr Gavin Short, Mr Glenn Ross and Mr Roger Edwards Left to right (Bottom): Miss Emma Edwards, Mr Dick Sawle, And Mrs Sharon Halford
A meeting of Legislative Assembly took place at 0900hrs on Tuesday, 10 November 2009 in the Court and Council Chamber of the Town Hall. Prayers were said by the Rev Richard Hines of Christ Church Cathedral.
First on the agenda was the election of the Speaker and Deputy speaker of the House for the duration of the Assembly. The Attorney General, Mr David Pickup, presided over the election. Mr Keith Biles was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He took his oath of allegiance and presided over the rest of the meeting. Next, Mr Anton Livermore was elected to be Deputy Speaker. Seeing that he is not in the Islands at the moment he will take his oath in December – the date of the next meeting.
Oaths of Allegiance for all Elected Members took place and were administered by the Attorney General Mr David Pickup.
Election of Executive Council Members the Attorney General, Mr David Pickup and the Director of Corporate Resources, Mr Keith Padgett acted as tellers for the election. Mr Dick Sawle was elected as Executive Council Member for Stanley, Mr Roger Edwards was elected as Executive Council Member for Camp and Mrs Jan Cheek was elected as Executive Council Member for Stanley and Camp. The term of office is 12 months.
Confirmation of the Record of the Meeting of Legislative Assembly held on 18 September 2009 was held and approved.
Papers were then laid on the Table by the Hon Chief Executive as follows:
Copies of subsidiary Legislation published in the Falkland Islands Gazette since the last sitting of the Legislative Assembly and Laid on the Table pursuant to section 34(1) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance 1977.
Electoral (Disqualification for Election) Order 2009
Immigration (Permanent Residence Permits) Regulations 2009
Elected Councillors’ Allowances (Amendment) Order 2009
Museum & National Trust (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2009
MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT SPEECHES:
The Hon Mrs Jan Cheek (JC):
I give notice now that just because I am first in the alphabet I won’t always be leaping up to speak first. A woman likes the last word.
I want to begin by thanking our Gilbert House staff and everyone else involved in the comprehensive induction programme that we have embarked on. I know we’ve a long way to go and a lot to learn. I look forward to working with all my colleagues to bring a fresh perspective. And we all understand the magnitude of the task ahead of us.
It’s right that we acknowledge the hard work of the last Assembly Members in many areas. In particular I should mention the latest stage in our constitutional development, which lead by Mike Summers, represents the culmination of the work of the last three assembly and Councils. While the Constitution is ever evolving to meet changed circumstances, I don’t believe that a major review will be needed for some tome.
I would also like to remember two other members of the last Assembly, who while not having the highest profile, did sterling work. During his 12 years, Richard Cockwell probably long-hauled several times around the planet, making hundreds of friends for the Islands with his modest charm and friendly affability and, even more importantly, he worked with the then Director of Fisheries and other officials and the industry on the new Fisheries Policy several years ago - probably the single most important economic development in the Islands since the creation of the Fishing Zones. I wish him a long and very happy retirement.
I would also like to mention someone I worked with – John Birmingham. He always worked hard. He never avoided the difficult and unpopular tasks – sometimes to his cost. Others weren’t so keen to undertake them. I will miss working with him and hope to see him back one day because a good track record in by-elections – having beaten me in one many years ago.
On to one of the issues I raised in one of my Penguin News articles: I believe we need urgent clarification of whether the mine clearance about to commence includes environmental mitigation. Everyone knows that erosion is a real problem here and that the ground will take a very long time to recover from any kind of disturbance. A further concern that if it appears likely that cleared areas cannot be declared 100% safe, then they will have to be re-fenced and this raises an even more important question. Why do it at all? I understand perfectly the UK’s obligation to clear their territories but I ask another question – What kind of world do we live in where HMG cannot say that while accepting their obligations to clear mines on their sovereign territory, they agree with many Falkland Islanders that the money would be better spent in countries where men, women and children are still being killed and maimed.
I don’t want these remarks to reflect in any way on the people on the ground here who are going to be doing a difficult and potentially dangerous job. And I pray for their safety while they do it.
I will have much more to say in December when we’ve had time to absorb all our roles.
I support the Motion.
The Hon Miss Emma Edwards (EE):
Mr Speaker and Honourable members, I’m going to keep this brief because I’m still trying to find my feet in this new job. And I also don’t want to end up sounding as if I’m at the “Night at the Oscars” by standing here and saying thank you to everybody involved. But I would like to pass on a number of areas for thanks.
In particular, I would like to thank everybody who supported me on the run-up to the election and after the election. It’s been quite a daunting prospect to suddenly discover that – there you were saying I’d like to stand for election and suddenly here you are. It certainly made my legs knock for a little bit. I’d also like to say thank-you and well done to the guys in the Town Hall. It was a very long count and I actually appreciate what they did that night. I think they worked long and they worked hard. Well done for everybody in the Town Hall that evening. And another group I’d like to say very much a huge thank-you to is Gilbert House and everybody involved in the induction programme. It’s been very interesting and very useful so far, so thank-you once again.
I’ve got some very interesting portfolios and I think I’ve got a very interesting four years ahead of me. I hope I live up to everybody’s expectations and I am sure that people out there will soon tell me when I’m not. I’ve already been told that by a number of people.
Thank you everybody and I look forward to serving with this Assembly and for the people of the Falkland Islands.
I support the Motion for Adjournment.
The Hon Mr Roger Edwards (RE):
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, firstly I would like to thank all those who put their faith in me to represent them on the Legislative Assembly and turned out to vote on the 5th of November and congratulations also to all my fellow Members.
We must ensure the end of this particular Assembly that the next election is not quite the shambles that we had in this one, with letters going out with the wrong dates on them, mix up over election expenses, no mobile polling stations and, to cap it all, Hill Cove and Port Howard only finding out about three days prior that they were to vote on Tuesday, 03 November and not on Thursday the 5th of November. Despite this we had a historically high turn-out and we must congratulate every single one of all those voters for their gallant efforts in turning out to vote. Thank you.
Congratulations to you Mr Speaker on your re-election to the post and I trust all goes well for you in the next four years.
To end, I’ll just mention television. In our many, many briefings we have heard that all the bits and pieces should be here by February – just one year late and should be up and running – we trust – by about May or June at the latest.
We have much work ahead of us to ensure improvement in all other forms of communications around the Islands. This is going to take a considerable period of time and a considerable amount of work by ourselves and the administration to ensure this is put into place.
Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.
The Hon Mrs Sharon Halford (SH):
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, firstly I’d like to thank everybody that actually made the effort to put me here today. I know from a number of them it wasn’t just a matter of filling in a postal vote – they had to make several hours’ journey to do so.
As to the election itself, I hope next time around that the election process is more clear. I found it rather messy this time around. I was quite surprised taking my nomination form in that it couldn’t be checked there and then. And there were various other matters which have already been touched upon.
To date we have had a very brief and partial overview of the FIG functions and it’s probably been an awful lot to take on. But one thing that jumps out is there is a clear need for us to make savings in many areas.
I mentioned in the run-up to the election that I wasn’t happy with the means testing and I don’t think from what I’ve seen so far that this exercise is born much fruit. It’s caused an awful lot of antagonism around the Islands and for very little savings. And, my particular beef with this has been pensions, which of course, whatever we do, the people for this Christmas will still have to apply. And, it’s rather sad to think there are people out there who could apply for their pensions but it’s against their principles to do so because they think it’s absolutely insulting to have to ask for them.
Another thing I mentioned in the run-up to the election is the review of the “Land – Non Residence Ordinance” – it comes under that anyway – the fact of Falkland Islanders not being able to purchase property here when they are not resident. That is something that is in the pipeline, I’, pleased to say, so we will have to look very carefully at that as the process goes through.
I’ve got the Health and Medical portfolio, which my husband said was actually a minefield after talking about that earlier. But I am actually looking forward to meeting all the people in that sector and to get to grips with it.
My second portfolio – where I am second on it – is the number crunching sector – the Treasury and Taxation, so they will be interesting to get to grips with.
Now the Tourism Season is about upon us again and I think it would be interesting this year if we could actually ask tour operators and providers to give us a detailed count of the end of the season or how many of our neighbours have actually come to visit and have gone to the Argentine Cemetery because it doesn’t seem to be made public to the outside world that we have a lot of these people coming throughout the season. And I respect that they come this way. They come without the glare of television and press – they do so quietly and in a dignified way. And it would be interesting to see how many of them do actually come.
Finally, I look forward to working with all the Members around this table and I am sure we have a lot of pretty difficult decisions over the next four years.
I Support the Motion.
The Honourable Bill Luxton (BL):
Mr Speaker, I’ll keep it fairly short. I, too, would just like to thank the electorate – the Camp electorate for such an amazing turn-out in very difficult circumstances and returning me to this House with my colleagues. It was quite a surprise to me.
I don’t have much else to say except being very disappointed to learn that the television system to the Camp is going to be 12 months later than we expected it and let’s hope they can keep to that schedule.
Dr Doyle has just published his report on Communications. We’ve had so much paperwork thrown at us that there hasn’t really been time to digest that yet. But I look forward very much to getting my teeth into that one.
Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.
The Honourable Glenn Ross (GR)
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, It is perhaps too early in the lifetime of this Assembly to say much about anything as we are only part way through the induction process. I am, though, really pleased that the review of Government. It should be generally understood that anyone who has arrived here as part of the re-structure of Government has applied for the job in good faith and need to be made as welcome as any other arrival to our Islands.
I would like to thank Heads of Department who have given us briefings to date. A few have even been able to speak to us in plain English. There are many topics that will require a much more comprehensive discussion in the near future. Mr Speaker I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Assembly and to visiting my portfolio departments. There are many and they all are equally important and I will try to see everyone soon.
Finally Mr Speaker, I would like to thank everyone who voted at the General Election and especially those who put their trust in me. I thank, too, the people who have supported my nomination and the many who have sent in good luck messages.
Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.
The Hon Mr Dick Sawle (DS):
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, I am absolutely delighted, humbled, and honoured to stand here today. I know that this will be a full time job and I know that representing you in the Falklands will never be easy. I recon over the next four years there will be many difficulties and complications but I believe that with a vision of a fair, vigorous and prosperous society for all we can and will make it happen.
I reaffirm the promise I made to be a point of contact for all of you out there and I hope that you will treat me as such. Do get in touch with me with your views. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you have the right to vote, whether or not you voted for me, whether or not you come from a minority or majority. Our community is the sum of many communities.
Sometimes we move forward in harmony and at other times there is friction. But we are united in that we are all here in the Falkland Islands which is our home. We must live and work together for the good of us all. It takes all of us – the Civil Service, the private sector and the government to pull together.
Many people approached me in the run-up to the election telling me their problems over immigration, PRP status, Falkland Islands Status or simply trying to obtain the right to vote and be fairly represented. The current system is complicated but the last Assembly did much good work on this and the fruits of that labour will soon appear. I hope that this will simplify procedures and would expect you to tell me if it has not and if not why not and what can be done to help and assist.
Those who should be represented ought to be represented and given the right to reside and vote. The figures quoted by Penguin News indicate that only half of the population have the right to vote, so half are unrepresented. In a modern, democratic society this should either be justified or put right.
The framework that governs our two main monopolies has to be a priority of this Assembly. Any business that is given a monopoly has been given a massive privilege and must be carefully and critically scrutinised. In the unlikely event that a monopoly is found to be in our best interest then the government must ensure that people are receiving best value for money.
In the case of Cable & Wireless I remain profoundly sceptical that this is the case. I believe there are other far better long-term solutions and I discussed the ideas with many of you. Indeed, those beliefs are one of my main reasons for standing in these elections. And all Members are unanimous in my taking this forward as one of my portfolio responsibilities.
Our present system denies us the freedom of choice, which is enshrined in our Constitution as to how we communicate with each other and the outside world. We should be taking advantage of the best and latest technology that the modern world has to offer – technology which we, as a group of isolated islands are ideally suited to derive a huge advantage - technology denied to us at present, which will enable us to compete up there at the forefront of the modern world. This must be changed. We now have the long awaited Doyle Report and as soon as possible we must crack on with the task in hand.
Another important issue for me is that Members of the Assembly must be approachable and available. Open Government does not simply mean that the doors of every meeting are open. Having TV and radio present at all discussions and debates may, in fact, hinder rather than assist with frank exchanges and could result in stage managed meetings.
Many of you have criticised the last Assembly for being remote and unconnected to public opinion. I believe the result has been a resounding shout for change – big change. As your Elected Members we must all take heed. I will heed what you say and I will take your concerns and views seriously.
There are some administrative issues that need to be dealt with as soon as possible, along which much of the work has already been done and done very well by the last Assembly. We urgently need the Public Accounts Committee to be up and running. The system was only put in place in September but this is an important step forward in accountability. As we don’t have a formal opposition party it’s important that there should be an independent check on Government spending, albeit with the benefit of hindsight.
No member should feel prickly over criticism. There is bound to be criticism at times both from us and against us and that is important in a democracy.
I will maintain contact with a variety of groups, for example, the Chamber of Commerce. They and many other interest groups have important roles to play and their views are vital. I will be exploring other more informal mechanisms by which important feedback on spending decisions and Government performance can be obtained.
However, the business of Government does also rely heavily on you, the public, to be involved and engaged. We should also install the Complaints Commissioner envisaged by the 2008 Constitution as soon as possible. It is not yet clear how precisely this will work and I hope that this position will have teeth. People should have access to a simple, affordable, independent yet professional means of solving informally the many issues and conflicts that arise. Courts should always be a last resort. And, surely in a small community such as ours mediation is preferable to litigation.
I look forward to being involved in the various portfolio responsibilities I have gathered, such as Economic Policy, Legislation, Monopolies, IT, and Trade and Industry, which incorporates the new port development. There are no longer three executive portfolios which are prerequisites of being elected to Executive Council. Each of us has tried to place themselves where they feel they will be most effective. And, I believe that this is correct.
Relationships with Argentina are probably as low as they can get. We have to be vigilant. It was last November that I was on top off Tumbledown with Martin Sankie. Martin lost a leg in relation to Port Harriot and crawled 2km to get to an extraction point. It was moving to stand there and hear him speak, slowly letting out the ghosts that haunt so many. We can never forget their sacrifice and suffering or the suffering of their families. I feel very privileged to stand here today and will make sure that Martin and the many, many others are not let down. We must protect the freedoms they died and suffered for as they are the most valuable thing that we have.
This election has thrown up your concerns about many other issues that are causing dissatisfaction which need to be discussed and resolved. These next four years will be busy and interesting and as we start this new phase in the life of our Islands I thank the last Assembly for the work it has done, I thank all my fellow candidates and the officers concerned for a fair and well-conducted election process. And I thank you all for the opportunity you have given me to serve you. I am honoured and proud of the trust you placed in me and I, for my part, will do my upmost to ensure that our Islands continue to develop and prosper in a fair, democratic and vibrant society.
I support the Motion.
The Hon Mr Gavin Short (GS):
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, what do you say after that? I sometimes wish I was actually born a Biggs and not Short. I probably would get first say. However, I will box on.
I stand before you today actually humbled and a bit scared, I must admit. I feel humbled that so many people out there should put their faith in me. It actually did come as quite a shock that night, I must admit. I was actually more incoherent than I normally am. But I am also scared that I may not be able to live up to the faith that people have put in me but I promise – I really do promise that I will do my best for you and my country.
Sir, I wish to thank those who did vote for me. I also want to say a big thank-you to the election team as my Honourable Colleagues have said especially those who went out with mobile ballot boxes, but especially the counting team in the Town Hall. Now I thought actually they did a good job and I’d rather that they took their time and took as long as it needed to get that right. And they did and I am very grateful to them.
Perhaps if I could have just a couple of seconds to speak to the electorate out there - I am probably not going to put this as well as my colleague did to my left but basically if you think that your job is done because you cast your vote – to quote a very famous country song you hear on the radio – “wrong.” Your job, like ours, is just beginning. I am going to plead with you now – don’t leave us alone. Keep talking to us. We need you to keep feeding in. We have to know what’s happening out there – what you are happy about, what you are not happy about.
That also goes to basically everyone out there. I don’t care whether you are below the voting age or whether you are 105. Your views count. We need to know.
The last few days have actually been almost madness with information coming from all angles. But I think we are just about through it now and I am looking forward to the next week or so when we can actually get start getting down to the nitty-gritty of running the country.
One thing I would like to pick up on, though is the use of English. I was under the impression that English was the mother-tongue of the Falkland Islands. And the briefings we’ve had – I have noticed that the older hands do speak to us in English. However, the new boys that are coming in speak some language that – I’m afraid – I do not understand and it goes over my head.
I would plead with the Chief Executive to put an edict around to everyone to speak to us in good, old, plain, old fashioned English. It’s important that I understand it, it’s important that the public understands what’s being said.
As I say, at this stage I am going to ask nicely. If I have to ask again, you might find that I am quite a cantankerous old goat at times.
I will get around to all the portfolios that I have. I notice I have actually taken on quite a few. It’s probably wrong to pick out one but the FIDF is something I am absolutely thrilled to have the portfolio for. It’s a fine organisation and I am certainly proud to be an ex-member of that wonderful regiment.
In Fisheries I know I have a huge pair o
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