Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said today Sinn Féin candidate Martin McGuinness was an “inappropriate” person to become President of Ireland.
Separately, Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell said the entry of Mr McGuiness to the Áras race raises “very real questions”.
Speaking in Brussels on the sidelines of an EU meeting, Mr Shatter questioned whether it would be apt for Mr McGuinness to become titular head of the Defence Forces.
He said he found the former IRA member's entry into the race to be surprising and said he could not credibly present himself as a force for full reconciliation throughout Ireland.
“I think there are perhaps many people at home who would regard his exotic background as somewhat inappropriate for someone who would be the titular head of our Defence Forces, but that’s a decision to be made by the electorate,” Mr Shatter said.
Asked whether the claims Mr McGuinness made about his past in the IRA were credible, the Minister declined to comment and said that was a matter for people to judge themselves.
Mr Shatter said Mr McGuinness was doing a very important job as Deputy First Minister in the North, adding that it was crucial for the two communities to work together across community lines.
He said he understood that the peace process was the priority for Mr McGuinness but was not saying whether his presidential campaign for the presidency would damage the process.
“I think the manner in which Sinn Féin conducted themselves in the Republic of Ireland - and I want to emphasise that, in the Republic of Ireland - over the last six months clearly illustrates the inappropriateness of his being elected president,” Mr Shatter said.
Asked what he meant by that specifically, the Minister raised Sinn Féin’s boycott of the State dinner President McAleese hosted in Dublin Castle for Queen Elizabeth II.
“They lacked the generosity to be there. Martin McGuinness was notable by his absence,” he said. “I was personally particularly taken aback that Sinn Féin boycotted that dinner and deemed it inappropriate to be there. I thought it would have been a very valuable gesture along the further road of reconciliation that we would have the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland present at that dinner.”
He said this was a particularly serious issue in the light of the role taken in the peace process by President McAleese and her husband, Senator Martin McAleese.
“I think the current presidency at home has clearly illustrated the extent to which that office can be used to the benefit of everyone of this island,” he said. “Frankly, unfortunately, I don’t think Martin McGuinness could play that role nor does he have credibility in playing that role because of the manner in which they dealt with the Queen’s visit.”
The visit was a “huge additional building block” in the development of the peace process and in the relationships between Ireland and Britain, he said. “The dinner in Dublin Castle was hosted not by the Government it was hosted by President McAleese. Peter Robinson and his wife went to the trouble of coming to Dublin for that dinner.”
The Minister said the visit opened the door for Sinn Féin to recognise that there were new relationships between Ireland and the United Kingdom. It also gave Sinn Féin an opportunity to extend to the Queen the type of recognition that the unionist community has been willing to give to President McAleese.
“I just don’t find it credible that someone who … boycotted the Queen’s visit can now present themselves as a force for full reconciliation across the whole island of Ireland.”
Asked what he would say if Sinn Féin charged that he was simply electioneering, Mr Shatter said he was very happy to be supporting the Fine Gael candidate, Gay Mitchell. “It’s a matter of politics, it’s a matter of what is in the best interest of the country, it’s about presenting your argument as to why your candidate is the best,” he said.
Sinn Féin's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald hit back at Mr Shatter, warning that it was not for him or Fine Gael to decide who is fit for the presidency. She said the election will be decided by the people.
"I find it completely wrong that a Government minister would interfere in the democratic process in such a manner," she said. "It is the people who will decide who is fit for the office of president and not Alan Shatter or the Fine Gael party.
"Martin McGuinness is a very strong candidate and this is evidenced by the reactions of people like Alan Shatter."
The Sinn Féin candidate yesterday denied killing anyone during his period of IRA membership but declined to give any further detail of his activities during that time. “I was involved in the IRA and I’ve made that clear. I didn’t kill anybody, I didn’t shoot anybody. I’m not going to get into the detail of all of that,” he said.
Speaking in Cork, Mr McGuinness said he wanted to open up Áras an Uachtaráin to unionists. He said the positive working relationships he had developed with Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson were evidence of his future capabilities as president of Ireland.
He explained the circumstances that led him to join the IRA in 1970. He said he had many regrets about the conflict.
“Many young people of my generation were involved in attacking the British army and the RUC with petrol bombs and stones, with anything they could get their hands on, and I was no different from any of the rest of them. I don’t divest myself of my responsibility during the time I was in the IRA,” he said. “I have plenty of regrets about the fact there was almost 25 years of conflict in which many people lost their lives, British soldiers, UDR men, RUC men, IRA volunteers and innocent civilians, absolutely. But when I first entered electoral politics, 30 years ago next year, I took up my responsibilities to bring conflict to an end.”
Mr McGuinness declined to answer whether he ever ordered a killing, and what his daily activities as an IRA member entailed. “I’m not going to get into what I did on a daily basis except to say that when people make their judgment of me that they have to judge me in the round,” he said.
Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan said earlier this week he did not think it would be good for Ireland for Mr McGuinness to be elected to the Áras, warning that he was carrying too much baggage from his past.
Additional reporting: PA
