LAGAN VALLEY MP Jeffrey Donaldson has said he will not be cosying up to Sinn Féin in his new position as Northern Ireland junior minister. He yesterday replaced Ian Paisley jnr, who, with "deep humility" but in "good spirit" formally resigned his post.
Flanked by his First Minister father, the Rev Ian Paisley, in the Assembly chamber yesterday morning, Mr Paisley jnr announced he was standing down from his post after more than nine months in office.
Last Monday week he announced he would be resigning following controversy surrounding his business and political dealings with north Antrim businessman Seymour Sweeney. He insisted he was not involved in any wrongdoing.
In a short statement yesterday Mr Paisley jnr said he had been "honoured to serve this country and indeed honoured to serve under the leadership of the First Minister in particular.
"I leave with high hopes, in good spirit, with deep humility and with gratefulness in my heart," he said. Mr Paisley jnr is remaining on the back benches as a DUP MLA. Later yesterday morning Mr Donaldson was formally appointed junior minister. His Sinn Féin counterpart as junior minister is Gerry Kelly.
Mr Donaldson would make no comment about continuing speculation that Dr Paisley will resign later this year. "He is the First Minister and party leader and in terms of any future change in either of those positions that's a matter for the party, not a matter for me as an individual," he told The Irish Times.
It was clear from Mr Donaldson that he will not be party to the friendly relationship that Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness have hitherto enjoyed and which has upset some unionists.
"I am a personable kind of person but I am here to do business and it will be businesslike. In terms of my relationship with Sinn Féin I am not here to cosy up to Sinn Féin," he said. He said he would "press for delivery" from the republican movement on dismantling all its paramilitary structures.
Mr Donaldson repeated that it was unlikely the transfer of policing and justice powers could happen by the St Andrews Agreement target date of May. "It is essential that we clear the field before us in terms of dealing with the residual aspects of paramilitarism," he said. The MP and MLA criticised the IRA for indicating that it was "highly unlikely" it would engage with the Eames-Bradley group on the past. "It highlights the double-standards of the republican movement that on the one hand they are most vocal in calling for everyone else to be truthful, and yet they themselves maintain this veil of secrecy over what they have done," said Mr Donaldson.
He said that "on a human level" he understood how difficult the resignation was for Mr Paisley jnr, Dr Paisley and the wider Paisley family. "I am sensitive to that and my colleagues are sensitive to that."
After Mr Paisley resigned Dr Paisley paid tribute to his son. "We wish him well in the future," he said. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said there would not be a powersharing administration but for "the leadership of the Paisley family". He added, however, that there were questions to be answered about the issues that led to Mr Paisley jnr's resignation.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan welcomed the expression of "deep humility" in Mr Paisley jnr's statement because last week there were examples of "vanity" in his comments. He said Mr Paisley jnr did good work as a junior minister.
Alliance leader David Ford said Mr Paisley jnr by his statement "had redeemed a little of what went before". Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey made no comment in the chamber.
