Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For many hundreds of years, Mr. Speaker, throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, leaders emerged who governed people and it was expected that they would govern wisely and that people would be happy under their rules.
The very reason for that was because it was a tradition that the leader got his power from the Creator. It was the divine right of this person to rule. Therefore, for hundreds and hundreds of years, we had rules that convinced millions of people throughout the world that they got their power from God. Therefore, they were completely invulnerable. You couldn't touch them. It happened with the emperor of Japan, the empress of China, leaders in Africa and the crowned kings of Europe. They and their public believed that they got their power from God.
One of the things that happened in the development of parliamentary democracy was that the people said no, you get your power from us. You don't get it from God. I would like Members to remember that as we debate in these dying months of our Assembly. Power comes from the people and not from God. In the four years that we sit in this House, we should be always mindful of that. In a representative parliamentary democracy, we are here to speak because we represent people and the real power is with the people. They should have certain powers which, over the next while, we'll have a chance to debate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause