GR: As a newcomer to the National Assembly what was your immediate impression of the way in which the business of the House is conducted?
V. G-L: Frankly, as a new Parliamen- tarian I was shocked. When you follow the proceedings on television it seems a bit high-spirited though you still harbour the feeling that there is a high level of discourse. What I encountered was really quite unexpected. Unfortunately, you begin to see everything as being reduced to shouting matches and party political tussles and you think that this is not the way the ‘the people’s business’ should be conducted. It would be so much better is we could confine our discourses to the issue at hand. In fact that is much of the reason why processes in the Parliament are so slow and why decisions take so long to be reached.
GR: Are you saying that the environment in the House militates against expediting ‘the people’s business?
V. G-L: Without a doubt! It’s is not our job to monkey around with the people’s business.