Sinn Féin representatives are “trying to hijack the memory of Nelson Mandela”, while “completely missing the point” of the story of his life, according to NI Conservatives’ representative, Trevor Ringland.
“It’s a fairly basic irony that Gerry Adams is attempting to associate himself with Mandela, at a time when he’s just blamed two senior police officers for their own murders by the IRA”, Trevor observed. “It’s clear evidence that Sinn Féin has not learned any lessons from the journey that the former South African President undertook.”
“Mandela and F.W. de Klerk concluded that violence was counter-productive and they showed a pragmatic attitude to forgiveness, which created the space required to build a shared nation. In Northern Ireland too, many people have managed to forgive great wrongs, for their own good and for the greater good of society. Their sacrifice hasn’t been sufficiently recognised or built upon by the political parties, including by Adams and McGuinness.”
“Mandela’s goal, in the latter part of his life, was to ensure South Africa was inclusive and that all traditions were respected. In contrast Sinn Féin representatives have more often been engaged in attempts to divide the community in Northern Ireland and to glorify campaigns of violence. I sincerely hope that Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness return from Nelson Mandela’s memorials with a more constructive attitude, ready to make a far more positive contribution to building a stable, peaceful society in Northern Ireland.”