Call for Parades Commission Orangeman to retire
An Orangeman on Northern Ireland’s Parades Commission was today urged to resign after fresh questions were raised about his appointment.
Nationalist SDLP Assembly member Dolores Kelly called on Don MacKay to quit after it emerged she was cited as a referee on his application form for the commission without ever being approached.
Ms Kelly also expressed amazement that no-one involved in the appointment of commissioners even questioned that an Upper Bann nationalist would act as a referee for a Portadown Orangeman.
“I’m amazed no-one in the Northern Ireland Office contacted me before he was appointed to such a high-profile commission,” the Upper Bann MLA said.
“It doesn’t make sense that a nationalist representative for Portadown, of all places, would nominate a member of the Orange Order to the Parades Commission when our positions on parades, sectarianism and the Drumcree march have been so far apart.
“Don Mackay’s position on the commission is untenable and he should resign.”
There was controversy when Mr MacKay, a former Ulster Unionist councillor who has since defected to the DUP, and former Portadown District Master David Burrows were appointed last November by Northern Secretary Peter Hain to the commission.
Nationalist Garvaghy Road residents, who have been locked in an eight-year dispute with Orangemen over the Drumcree parade, are preparing a High Court challenge to the appointments.
The commission is chaired by former trade-union negotiator Roger Poole of UNISON and other members include former SDLP MP for West Belfast Dr Joe Hendron and Women’s Coalition member Anne Monaghan.
However, this latest row will only further fuel the controversy over Mr MacKay and Mr Burrows’ appointments.
The SDLP today released correspondence between Ms Kelly and the Northern Ireland Office and also Ms Kelly and Mr MacKay.
On January 27, Ms Kelly wrote to Peter Hain after learning her name had been cited in Mr MacKay’s application.
The Upper Bann MLA stressed: “At no stage did I provide a reference, agree to act as a referee or express my support for his appointment as a member of the commission.
“Nor would I have done so in view of the differences in policy between the SDLP and the loyal Orders on issues such as sectarianism and parades, including the differences between the SDLP and the loyal Orders on parades in my constituency such as Drumcree.
“In such circumstances, it would be extraordinary for an SDLP MLA to back a leading loyal Order figure for such a post. I would be grateful to know therefore why I was not contacted to authenticate whatever claim of support was made.”
Mr MacKay then wrote to the SDLP Assembly member on February 17, apologising for any difficulty the application may have caused and offering to meet her.
He explained her name was submitted because they had both served for four years as colleagues and friends on Craigavon Borough Council.
The Parades Commission member wrote: “I was made aware on Wednesday, February 15, that it appears that you were not aware that I had given your name as a referee on my application form for appointment to the Parades Commission.
“I can assure you that I indicated on my application form that if successful, following the sifting process, that I wished to be consulted prior to my nominated referees being approached.”
The Upper Bann MLA responded in a letter to him today that she was appalled he could even have thought her name could had been used as a referee.
Mr Mackay was unavailable for comment today.
However, a spokesman for the Parades Commission said appointments to the body were issues for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).
In a statement the NIO said: “Appointments were made on the basis of the candidates successfully displaying competence across a range of areas.
“References were not sought for any of the candidates.
“The appointments process was regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and an OCPA representative was involved in every stage.”
An NIO spokesperson said there would be a response to Ms Kelly’s letter to the Northern Secretary.
