Despite Sinn Féin’s ongoing problems, First Minister Michelle O’Neill stated that Mary Lou McDonald’s leadership was undeniable, reports Breaking News.
On Tuesday, Ms. McDonald provided the Dáil chamber with information about how Sinn Féin addressed a number of complaints that surfaced against party members.
She has been under pressure to clarify if the party procedures are as strong as they can be and how much she and her party knew about the scandals.
“No, there are no questions over Mary Lou McDonald’s leadership,” Ms O’Neill told reporters on Wednesday, reports Breaking News.
Everything the party knows “is now on the public record,” according to the vice president of Sinn Féin, who also promised to be as “transparent and open” as she could.
When asked about the matter, Emma Little-Pengelly, the deputy first minister, stated that although “the grubbiness” of the disputes must be addressed, the institutions of powersharing were not in danger.
Sinn Féin and Ms. O’Neill “need to step up and be absolutely transparent and honest,” she added.
“Ultimately, this isn’t a crisis of the institutions. It’s a crisis within Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin need to get their house in order. No organisation should be operating with a cloak of secrecy. We are not, and nor should there be, criminal organisations which have some sort of a code of silence. We need to step up and show that transparency, the grubbiness of this needs to be addressed, the serious questions need to be answered,” the deputy First Minister said, reports Breaking News.
Ms. O’Neill stated that she will “continue in that vein” after responding to enquiries both before a committee and in the Assembly chamber.
Ms. Little-Pengelly responded, “I think that there are mechanisms to hold people to account,” when asked if Ms. O’Neill should bring up the matter in the Assembly once more.
“I know that right across that Assembly chamber, there are many people who are seriously concerned about the issues of safeguarding of children. We’ve had a number of big inquiries in Northern Ireland. We’re still working on a number of those investigations and inquiries through the Executive office and, therefore, it is even more important that we do step up and show example,” reports Breaking News.
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