Parliament version 2.0

THE TWELFTH Parliament opens this morning and all eyes will be on President Paula-Mae Weekes.

In the wake of a bruising election season and amid the distress of a pandemic, Ms Weekes will address not only MPs but the general public looking on.

The backdrop to the President’s speech will in some respects be unchanged. Government and opposition benches will look very familiar.

But there will be notable modifications, including the transfer of one seat across the aisle to reflect the election result. New members will make their first appearances.

There will be more profound changes, however. The benches will be sparsely populated for the time being. The ceremonial opening will lack the tightly-packed rows of suited and hatted officials fanning themselves, the pomp and splendour of past ceremonies.

Indeed, the House has already departed from the past by entertaining consideration of legislative matters relating to mask-wearing. This is not business as usual.

Social distancing will be strictly enforced, but the country will have great interest in how close the Government and Opposition get when it comes to working in the national interest.

No one imagines for a moment everything will suddenly be hunky-dory. In a democracy, there will always be diverse views.

But the existential threat posed by covid19 calls for bold teamwork, particularly in the wake of the dismal examples set during the election campaign.

In this regard, it is comforting to observe that the Parliament itself, through the Speaker, has already set an example to the nation.

Measures were introduced early to ensure sittings are as safe as possible. These include mandatory sanitisation and masks, a suspension of tours and committee meetings, as well as remote viewing rooms for some MPs, special podiums for speaking, and a more flexible approach to voting.

As good as these measures are, we think the Government and Opposition need to go further. In fact there is a pressing imperative to consider virtual sittings.

A virtual House, where debate takes place entirely online, should be introduced. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, it will set the lead. Where technology enables remote working, that should be the preferred option.

Secondly, in light of the fact that some members on both sides have been either quarantined or came close to covid19, it is unconscionable to require the attendance of MPs, even with protections in place.

Thirdly, the Parliament has long been on a trajectory to paperless working. Its support network, the Parliament Department, has long been a shining example of state bureaucracy embracing 21st-century technology to increase its already outstanding efficiency. Earlier phases of this move relating to MPs themselves included distributing equipment and software to MPs in relation to an electronic repository in 2012.

With a government that now includes a Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation, what better time for an update?