Divided reception for bill of rights
From The Irish News - 4th 20020131
by Kieran McDaid
THE planned bill of rights for Northern Ireland has received a mixed response from the two main nationalist parties.
The SDLP has said it is an opportunity for all and a threat to none, while Sinn Féin said the proposed bill "fails the Good Friday agreement test".
SDLP chairman and justice spokesman Alex Attwood said a bill of rights could become "one of the most positive and widely-owned aspects of the (Good Friday) agreement for all of the citizens and communities of the north".
Mr Attwood, leading a party delegation to the commission to deliver its formal response yesterday, said the bill provided the opportunity to agree standards of protection that could replace disagreement over rights in the past with a new order of rights for all in the future.
"It can provide a basis of stability and security that can allow communities to rebuild relationships" he said.
He warned that the government must not adopt a "minimalist" approach to the proposed bill.
"If the laws of the British parliament legislate across economic, social and cultural issues for the particular circumstances of the north, then all of those circumstances should be reflected in the bill of rights" he said.
Mr Attwood said the bill was "a substantial document, not a minimalist document".
But he added: "Certainly there are areas where we think there should be some enhancement to see its core values retained".
The party was adamant that "social and economic rights" - such as the right to health care and education - should be included.
"Given our education system and the minimum wage, these rights, which already exist in practice, should be given legal standing to confirm and clarify the exact rights of citizens' entitlement and allow people to call their government to account if their basic entitlements are infringed" Mr Attwood added.
However, Sinn Féin said the proposed bill "fails the Good Friday agreement test".
Party human rights spokesman Pat McNamee said they welcomed many aspects of the commission's proposals and acknowledged progress had been made in relation to democratic rights, social and economic rights and the rights of children.
But he said basic human rights were not negotiable.
"It appears that the commission believes that it can draft a bill of rights acceptable to the British government, or those within unionism who are opposed to change, without regard to those who have actually suffered from institutional discrimination for decades" he said.
"As it stands at present, the proposed bill of rights does not meet the requirements set by the Good Friday agreement. This situation is unacceptable."
He said the agreement had provided the commission with a platform to develop a bill of rights the envy of the world.
"However, the minimalist approach to this task has so far resulted in their proposals falling well short of this mark" said Mr McNamee. |
