00:00It's been two weeks since the general election, and Parliament is yet to be convened.
00:06However, political scientist Dr. Indira Rampasad believes, given the series of events, both past and future, the delay is reasonable.
00:15I think the extra week that she's asking for, more or less it's an extra week or so, is to appoint the boards and the commissions.
00:23It is longer than usual, but I don't see any severe repercussions, because I think what the Prime Minister is doing is also preparing at the same time for a mid-year review budget.
00:40And we have to keep in mind that that comes immediately in the wake of a general election, a snap election.
00:45I think they want to put things in place and they want to be ready for when Parliament starts.
00:50You know, and she also has to groom some of her new members of Parliament.
00:55Some of them have never been in Parliament before.
00:57She probably wants to have a little grooming session, a little training session with them.
01:01Dr. Rampasad for the notes that the new government intends to bring new legislation to the House,
01:07as well as lay the ground for the delivery of key campaign promises.
01:12Stand your ground legislation.
01:14You would recall that this was in her platform, and I believe in the manifesto as well.
01:18This was campaign promises, and the salary increases for public servants, which will have to go into a new budget.
01:27And I think she wants to be in a state of readiness to be able to respond to the opposition questions,
01:34because the opposition also have their time in Parliament.
01:37And it's really a very short time to prepare everything.
01:43Dr. Winford James agrees that the delay in reopening Parliament is of no great concern.
01:49However, he does not believe the Prime Minister is doing herself or her government any favours by delaying.
01:55People wanted some indication that things were happening.
02:03And while we don't doubt that things are happening, the point is Parliament is a place where, and in a Cabinet,
02:10these are places where we expect to cease political action.
02:16And political action takes the form of legislation in the lower house.
02:22And then, of course, the legislation moves to the upper house and so on.
02:28So it's still earlier.
02:30It's not that they are breaking any law, although they may be breaking expectations.
02:36Renasa Cutting, TV6 News.
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