Plenary,

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Official Report 443KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

Good afternoon. As indicated in this morning's business bulletin, I have decided to take a ministerial statement on charity law reform as part of today's business. The statement will follow the debate on the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (Scotland) Order 2003 (SSI 2003/244) and the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (No 2) (Scotland) Order 2003 (SSI 2003/245), at approximately 4.30 pm.

As we are in a different location and the acoustics are not quite as good as they are in the Assembly Hall, it can be difficult for members to hear what is being said. I therefore ask members to be mindful of the conditions and to speak clearly and directly into the microphones.

The first item of business this afternoon is time for reflection. Our first leader of time for reflection this session is Mrs Ravinder Kaur Nijjar, the convener of the Scottish Inter Faith Council.

Four years ago, there was immense excitement and anticipation in the chamber when the Scottish Parliament was opened by Her Majesty the Queen. It was, as Donald Dewar said,

"a moment anchored in our history",

when the people of Scotland had a sense of being a nation again. There was a great sense of optimism, a new sense of identity—an identity that embraced many cultures and faiths. In 1999, we saw the formation of the Scottish Parliament and the inception of the Scottish Inter Faith Council. The challenge for all of us now is how we can do the right thing for all the people of Scotland.

Faith in the 21st century has become very important due to various catastrophic events, but out of conflict can come good. Tragic events have led to dialogue between faiths. There has been a sense of urgency for people to come together to commit to bringing about peace. However, the time has now come for dialogue and commitment to be changed into action. As representatives of the people, you have to base new laws and policies on the values that are engraved on the Scottish Parliament's mace: integrity, wisdom, justice and compassion.

We have to use our wisdom to learn about and interact with people of all faiths. The faith dimension should be crucial in all aspects of our work. We should have the integrity to challenge organisations that threaten the basic unity of all people in Scotland; to challenge the sensationalist journalism of some of the media; and to challenge the economic exploitation of people worldwide. One must uphold justice using compassion. Faith and spirituality are the common denominator of the whole of humanity. We need to re-establish family values and ensure that legislation is conducive to producing progress on that issue.

The Scottish Inter Faith Council would like to thank you for your support, which we hope will continue. We have been pleasantly surprised at how quickly we have become established. However, it is imperative that you, the representatives of the people, go into the heart of the faith communities in Scotland and hear their voice.

Today, let us not forget the words of Donald Dewar who, in 1999, said that the Parliament must never lose sight of what brought it here:

"the strivings to do right by the people of Scotland; to respect their priorities; to better their lot; and to contribute to"

a better future for women and men from all over Scotland.

Let us all—Parliament and people—renew our commitment to the common good and to a society that is characterised by our core Scottish values of justice, integrity, compassion and wisdom, in which diversity is celebrated and encouraged and in which peace is our goal. On behalf of the Scottish Inter Faith Council, I wish you all a very successful second session.