The Llywydd, MS's speech to be delivered during the
Ceremonial Opening of the seventh Senedd:
"Your Majesties, Members, distinguished guests, croeso cynnes i'r
Senedd.
Today we come together to mark the beginning of the Seventh
Senedd, and a new chapter in the story of Welsh democracy.
It is a significant chapter.
For the first time, this Siambr is home to 96 Members, elected
through a new system intended to reflect more closely the choices
of the people of Wales.
We are deeply honoured that Their Majesties The King and Queen
are here to share this occasion with us.
Looking around this Siambr today, I see the most representative
Senedd in our history.
I see Members whose lives and experiences reflect the richness of
modern Wales.
People who have cared for others, taught, served their
communities and their country.
People whose families came to Wales and made it their home,
becoming part of our shared national story.
And people whose own experiences of challenge and adversity have
shaped who they are.
Those experiences do not stop at the doors of this Siambr. They
come in with us.
They can deepen our understanding, enrich our debates and help us
make better decisions for the people we are here to serve.
I begin my third term as a Member, but my first as Llywydd. To
have been entrusted with this office by my fellow Members is a
profound honour.
And to those who are new to this place, I offer one thought.
This institution is at its best when we recognise that
disagreement need not mean division.
The very shape of this Siambr invites us to look at one another,
to listen, to challenge and to find common ground where we can.
We will disagree. We should disagree. Vigorous debate is part of
a healthy democracy.
But we should never lose sight of what brings every one of us
here: a shared responsibility to serve the people of Wales.
A larger Senedd gives us new capacity and new possibilities. An
opportunity to strengthen scrutiny, improve our law-making and
make this Parliament more accessible, inclusive and responsive.
And with that opportunity comes responsibility.
The people of Wales have placed their trust in us. They are
entitled to expect honesty, respect and integrity from those who
represent them.
Those standards are not an optional addition to our democracy.
They are essential to the trust on which democracy depends.
Among our guests today are representatives of the Welsh Youth
Parliament, who proudly accompanied our mace into the Siambr.
Their presence reminds us to look beyond the immediate pressures
of politics, because the decisions we make here will help shape
the Wales that their generation inherits.
And perhaps a few simple Welsh words express what should always
be at the heart of our work:
Gorau Cymru, Cymry.
The best of Wales is its people.
This Senedd belongs to them.
It belongs to the communities we represent, to those who put
their trust in us, and to those young people who will inherit
what we build.
So, as we begin this Seventh Senedd, let us be ambitious for this
institution, but always remember why it exists and who we serve.
Let us listen generously, debate robustly and act with integrity.
Let the voices, experiences, hopes and ambitions of people from
every part of Wales be heard within these walls.
Today, we celebrate not simply the opening of a Parliament, but
the democracy it embodies: Welsh democracy, belonging to the
people of Wales.
May their hopes guide us.
May their voices be heard here.
And may we be worthy of their trust.
Eich Mawrhydi, Your Majesty, it is now my great honour to invite
you to address the Senedd."
