NEW MORNING
NEWS LETTER EDITORIAL 29 JUNE 1998
LOOK OUT your window this morning and not much will be different.
But the political landscape of Northern Ireland has changed for ever. The election of an Assembly, the majority of whose members overwhelmingly endorse the Good Friday Agreement, is proof that an irrevocable change has occurred.
On Wednesday, it is likely that the leaders of the Ulster Unionist Party
and the Social Democratic and Labour Party will be elected First Minister
and Deputy First Minister of the new Assembly. The election of the leading
ministers, one from each tradition, will take place amid much international
media hype. A sense of euphoria would be understandable.
But the people of Northern Ireland know that the hard work is only just beginning.
Difficult days lie ahead. The election of the shadow assembly further down
the line promises to be intensely controversial, perhaps providing the Assembly
with the first test of its durability. Seemingly impossible hurdles have
to be cleared before a cabinet can be rightfully put in place to reflect
the demographic and cultural aspirations of all the people. Then there are
ministerial portfolios to be distributed, controversial North-South co-operation
to be implemented and the Council of the Isles to be developed.
Many of the parties involved in the Assembly have very different ideas of
how it should all come together. If any side pushes for too much, it could
all so easily fall apart. It is not only dissident unionists who pose that
threat-Sinn Fein and the loyalist fringe parties could just as easily bring
the Assembly to its knees by refusing to face up to their responsibilities
as democrats.
But despite this uncertain background, Northern Ireland today has a democratic
institution so broad in its diversity that it should become the envy of
the world, and a model for other divided communities to follow.
It will be a far cry from the Stormont of old, but every politician elected to the Assembly has a duty to do their best for the people of Northern Ireland. They will be paid handsomely but they will earn every penny if they do their job well.
Unionism, despite its fractures, will be the dominant ethos but that does
not mean that it should seek to dominate. A mood of partnership must prevail.
Fundamental disagreements there may be-but no party has a God-given right
to destroy what the people have built.
It will be nothing short of ridiculous if they do: for the first time in 26 years there is an opportunity to prove that the best people to run Northern Ireland are its own folk.
And when all the dust has settled over divisive issues, it is the 108 members of the Assembly who will be accountable in day-to-day areas like health, education, the environment and agriculture.
This Assembly is already different, and it can make a difference. It is
a volatile mix of hardened campaigners, enthusiastic rookies, aspiring political
leaders, and former paramilitaries.
One thing in common they do have: each and every one has been elected as
a servant of the people. They will not be forgiven if they let us down.
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