The People's alliance presidential candidate, Ms Adi Roche, last night called for an end to giving passports for investment as it favoured the rich. "There are numerous refugees who are looking for asylum and citizenship in Ireland and because they are poor the door remains closed to them," she said on RTE's Questions and answers.
The Fine Gael MEP and presidential candidate, Ms Mary Banotti, who was also a guest on the programme, said the issue of citizenship and passports should be looked art "in greater detail".
Asked whether the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, should resign over the controversy about the passports and the £30,000 payments, Ms banotti said what was happening to Mr Burke was "deeply disturbing" and "what we need in terms of the talks is somebody who can give 100 per cent of their time and energy to the job".
Pressed on the issue, she said that "there is room, perhaps, for him stepping aside while these issues are investigated".
Ms Roche said she felt for what Mr Burke was going through, especially because of the death of his brother. She said: "We have an elected Government and the decision (on his resignation) is theirs." Pressed further, she said: "I would feel that perhaps he has a workload that could be shifted."
Another panellist, Mr John Caden, a member of the presidential campaign team of Mr Derek Nally, did not believe that Mr Burke should resign but that the Taoiseach had to decide "whether it is acceptable that a politician should receive £30,000 in a brown paper bag and that is the way politicians should do business". Ms Roche also reiterated her proposal for a commission for children and opening the Aras to young people. "I think I'm probably the first to put a very concrete proposal like that."
Ms Banotti said the Aras was not just a house but an institution. She felt that in some ways the debate was trivialising the office and felt there was need for a slight pause from some of the "more grandiose ideas".
Asked about electoral pacts, Mr Roche declined to name the person she had mentioned she had in mind. Ms Banotti said Prof Mary McAleese was already a coalition candidate. "I do find it rather amazing that Mary McAleese has chosen to lecture us and say that if some of the opposition candidates decide to form and election pact they will in some way take away from people their free choice.
"I'm surprised she said something like that because it shows that she does not seem to understand the PR system down here."