SDLP LEADER Margaret Ritchie has described as a “sham” the Assembly election focus on whether the DUP or Sinn Féin would be entitled to take the First Minister post after the elections on May 5th.
Ms Ritchie, when launching her party’s 52-page manifesto in Belfast yesterday, said what her candidates were hearing from voters were mainly concerns about jobs and the economy and not whether Peter Robinson or Martin McGuinness would take the First Minister post.
Under current legislation whoever is the largest party takes the First Minister position.
The SDLP yesterday proposed that the titles of the two top Northern executive posts be redesignated as “Joint First Ministers” to reinforce the co-equal nature of the roles.
“Tell me anything that the First Minister can do that the Deputy First Minister cannot.
“They are already joint First Ministers and we believe they should be designated as joint First Ministers.
“The main issues on the door are about jobs and the economy and how we rebuild the economy,” said Ms Ritchie.
“The central issue in this election is who has got the ideas and track record and is, therefore, best placed to deliver on uniting people and building prosperity.”
The SDLP had 16 seats in the outgoing Assembly, making it the fourth largest party. It was therefore entitled to just one ministry, while the Ulster Unionist Party, which held 18 seats, took two ministries.
The SDLP is running 28 Assembly candidates, including a Polish candidate Magdalena Wolska, standing in East Belfast. It believes it can increase its number of ministries to two.
Ms Ritchie said the SDLP was hoping to at least win three additional seats in the constituencies of West Tyrone, Strangford and East Antrim.
She added that she believed the party also had a chance of a third and extra seat in her South Down constituency.
The party is viewed as most vulnerable in North Antrim, where its sole outgoing MLA is Declan O’Loan.
On the dissident threat, the SDLP said it would work to ensure “everyone in leadership – in politics and in our communities – stands firm against terror”.
The SDLP manifesto proposes cutting the number of MLAs from 108 to 96.
It also proposes abolishing the two Stormont junior minister posts, creating a single economy department and reforming the public sector.
The SDLP, which opposed the recent budget agreed by the DUP and Sinn Féin, has called for a “reconstructed” budget to be drawn up within the first 100 days of the next Northern executive.
The manifesto states: “In government we pledge a full review to radically improve the flawed budget and adoption of proposals which can raise £4 billion to boost business and construction, assign extra cash for school and road-building, and improve our health service.”
The SDLP also calls for a reduction in corporation tax.
It further proposes short-term investment to help create 16,000 jobs over the next three years.
These would be 7,000 “Green new deal” jobs, 3,300 agri-food jobs, 2,200 tourism jobs, 2,000 ICT jobs, and 1,500 jobs in specific building projects.
MAIN POINTS
New “reconstructed” budget within first 100 days of next Northern executive
Jobs promotion drive
Restore 50:50 Catholic/Protestant recruitment to PSNI.
Reform “dysfunctional” prison system
Reform public sector
Promote concept of shared future
“Joint First Minister” posts rather than First Minister and Deputy First Minister positions
Reduce number of MLAs from 108 to 96
Stronger North-South co-operation
Oppose increases in university tuition fees
Establish special cancer treatment unit at Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry
Press for an Irish language Act