IRA 'does not fund SF election campaigns'
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams accused the Justice Minister today of putting his own individual agenda ahead of political policies and the peace process.
Responding to the latest stinging attack launched by Michael McDowell against Sinn Féin, Mr Adams said it was clearly Mr McDowell’s personal ambition to replace Mary Harney as Progressive Democrat party leader and strongly rejected his allegations against republicanism.
He said it was time for the Minister to “put up or shut up.” “It’s obvious there is going to be a leadership battle within the PDs and this is Michael McDowell’s personal ambition,” he claimed.
“But it is the people which make their minds up and vote for people to represent them and this is obviously what the minister is concerned about.
“Where I take issue with him is when he puts the political process and the peace process in second place.”
Mr Adams, in Dublin to launch his party’s local election manifesto, said he found it “quite remarkable” that as Mr McDowell launched his own party’s candidates he had chosen not to focus on policy.
He said he was currently involved in discussions with both governments in an attempt to advance the political process, adding: “For the life of me I don’t understand what contribution the minister hopes to make to that process.”
The Sinn Féin leader insisted he did not believe the IRA was involved in criminality, although acknowledging some republicans had “fallen by the wayside.”
He stressed that his sole aim was the peace strategy and that he did not want to live in a society where there were private armies, armed groups of militarism of any sort.
Mr Adams also guaranteed that no money raised by the IRA was used to fund his party’s election campaigns.
“I am quite satisfied that Sinn Féin is not drawing funds in any way from any illegitimate organisation,” he said.
“The party is organised openly and the core authority within the party is the Árd Fhéis, that meets annually and there is a free vote, unlike the PDs.
“Now the Minister for Justice should put up or shut up. If people are breaking the law then they should be subjected to the process of the law.”
Acknowledging the release of Detective Garda Gerry McCabe’s release was a “vexed issue” he reiterated that he and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had a one-to-one understanding all IRA prisoners would be released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
