Green Leader calls for Changes in 'Sectarian' N.I. Assembly

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday February 05, 2003 20:22 by Graham Caswell - Green Party

Green Party Press Release

Lables institutionalise sectarianism. There's more to political perspectives than 'unionist', 'nationalist' or 'other'. Greens elected to the next Northern Ireland Assembly will work to change this.

Green Leader, Sargent, Calls For Change In Sectarian Structure Of Assembly.

Green Party/Comhaontas Glas Leader, Trevor Sargent T.D., addressing a meeting of the Northern Ireland Green Party at Queens University this evening, has called for a change in the sectarian structure of the Assembly voting system.

Mr. Sargent, who is on a fact-finding visit to Belfast to meet prospective Green Party candidates and boost the Northern Ireland Green Party's prospects for the forthcoming Assembly elections, said, "The current decision-making system within the Assembly which requires parties to designate as either 'unionist', 'nationalist' or 'other' only institutionalises sectarianism and, in certain situations, disenfranchises the 'others'. Future Green members of the Assembly, if elected in May, will seek to have these arrangements altered by review. We will insist on moving to a system based on true proportionality."

Mr. Sargent, who has pledged his party's support for the Northern Ireland Green Party Assembly campaign, said that it was vital that Green Party candidates be selected quickly so that they could establish themselves in key constituencies immediately.

Mr. Sargent said that he believed that Assembly elections should be held in May. "Cancelling these elections only yields to the Anti-Agreement forces which is not good for the peace process nor is it good for democracy."

The Green Party Leader also called on all parties to the process to live up to their responsibilities in implementing the Good Friday Agreement fully, five years after those commitments were first made.