Minister of Justice is 'natural successor' to Harney, says Molloy

Views of former PD ministers: Former PD minister Bobby Molloy yesterday backed Michael McDowell for the party leadership.

He said the Minister for Justice was the "natural successor" to Ms Harney as party leader and Tánaiste.

In an interview with RTÉ, Mr Molloy said the PDs would benefit more if there was no contest for the leadership.

He said the party had been founded by three great Irish people - Des O'Malley had led the party for eight years, Ms Harney for 13 years, and that the third founder, Mr McDowell, was now the natural successor.

Mr Molloy said Mr McDowell had "fantastic ability, tremendous energy and great organisational skills and interests". He had travelled the country to boost the party and build morale in preparation for the general election.

Asked about reports that Mr McDowell was seen as temperamental and unpopular with Fianna Fáil backbenchers, Mr Molloy said while there might be reasons for them thinking in such a way there was no justification for it.

He said apart from his work in the Department of Justice, Mr McDowell had also served Bertie Ahern as legal adviser to the Government.

"He has undertaken reform of the criminal justice system that very few other ministers were prepared to tackle on the scale that he has tackled it."

Former PD leader Des O'Malley yesterday declined to be drawn on whether he believed there should be a contest for the leadership. He said it was a matter for the party.

Mr O'Malley yesterday said Ms Harney had been "eminently successful" as party leader.

He said he was surprised at the sudden announcement that she was stepping down.

However it had to be borne in mind that she had been 13 years as leader, and that this was an unusually long time given the pressures involved in the post in the modern era compared to a generation or so ago.

"In that sense, she was entitled to lay down that particular part of her burden."

He said he was encouraged by the fact that Ms Harney intended to stand again for the Dáil and, if circumstances allowed, to continue as Minister for Health.

"Her courage and tenacity will be of inestimable value in tackling problems in health and in taking on vested interests and people resistant to change."

He said Ms Harney had achieved an enormous amount in her political career.

He had a slight bit of personal jealousy in that Ms Harney had been able to drive through things that he had wanted to do but had been unable to do while in office.

Ms Harney had been lucky in that she held ministerial office "in the post-Haughey and Reynolds era". That had made things easier.

Mr O'Malley pointed to the success of Ms Harney in eliminating smog in Dublin, a measure which she had achieved as a junior minister and against the wishes of her senior minister.

He believed Ms Harney had been right to step down as leader of the party in advance of the general election.

He said the eight months or so until the election would give the new leader sufficient time to prepare.