00:00President Christine Kangaloo congratulates the government for the resounding majority they managed to secure in the 2025 general election,
00:08calling on them to use it well for the benefit of the country.
00:11She believes the fact that three women, namely Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissessa,
00:16opposition leader Penelope Beckles-Robinson and herself,
00:19historically sitting in the top leadership positions in the parliament,
00:22might be a sign of what the public is looking forward to.
00:25Might well be speaking to a deeper national union for all of us to show greater kindness and grace to one another
00:33and to the hope that female leadership at this time might well be an important impetus in getting us there.
00:42With female leadership manifesting itself in this way in the parliament,
00:47the country's hopes are understandably high for a parliament and for a system of government
00:53that functions more collaboratively and embracingly and with less of the bitterness and hostility
00:59than we have sometimes seen in the past.
01:03I think we should be careful not to disappoint that hope.
01:07And as such, she calls for the inclusivity that has been stated by both the Prime Minister and opposition leader
01:13to be more than an aspiration and instead a reality.
01:17During the previous parliamentary opening, President Kangaloo spoke on the issue of crime
01:21and called for it to be addressed through collaboration and the putting aside of political rivalry in this area.
01:27I renew that call today with even greater urgency,
01:32but with greater hope in light of the initial signals from the leadership of both the government
01:37and the opposition, that we might well be at the start of a parliament
01:42in which there is the chance of more meaningful collaboration than before.
01:47She states that this is also vital in getting the economy to blossom.
01:52President Kangaloo has also put forward her wish list.
01:55At the top of that, the hope that this country can lead the way for the region in artificial intelligence regulation
02:01as she makes mention of the serious risks attached to not doing so.
02:05AI can pose a variety of social and economic risks.
02:10These include displacing large segments of the workforce,
02:14concentrating economic power in the hands of a few dominant players,
02:18and exacerbating inequality.
02:21Second on her wish list is for legislation to implement enduring powers of attorney.
02:26She explains that when people begin to exhibit symptoms of illnesses such as Alzheimer's,
02:30the power of attorney ceases, forcing relatives to go through a tedious and expensive process
02:36to be able to act on behalf of the family member.
02:39Enduring powers of attorney will continue to be valid in those cases once implemented.
02:44The president also calls for what she says is badly needed legislation
02:47to better the lives of people with disabilities.
02:50President Kangaloo also lends her voice to discourse on the government's intention
02:55to dismantle the demerit point system.
02:57The demerit point systems in general have the goal of safeguarding road users.
03:06Road accidents cause death and disabilities.
03:09They also cause unbearable mental anguish and long-lasting trauma.
03:14Kangaloo shares that her only sister was killed in a road traffic accident in 1993.
03:20And then in 2012, her brother, acting Chief Justice Wendell Kangaloo,
03:24was in a road traffic accident where he was critically injured.
03:28He succumbed to his injuries in 2013.
03:30It can happen to any of us.
03:33I therefore plead with Parliament that whatever is done in this area,
03:38Parliament commits to ensuring enhanced safety on our nation's roads
03:42and to reducing road fatalities and related injuries.
03:46And finally, President Kangaloo calls on the government
03:49to consider amending the legislation that governs the operations of the service commissions.
03:55As the 13th Parliament opened,
03:57Attorney at Law Jagdao Singh was sworn in as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives,
04:02while Dr. Aina Ali is the new Deputy Speaker of the House.
04:06Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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