Sinn Féin and the DUP have once again proved they are not serious about reforming the Stormont institutions, Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has said.
He also expressed regret that the First and deputy First Minister refused to commit to not resigning their position before the end of the current Assembly mandate.
The SDLP’s Opposition Day motion was defeated with votes against from the DUP and the UUP. Sinn Féin abstained.
South Belfast MLA Mr O’Toole said:
“Despite public claims to the contrary, Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP have proven they are not serious about reforming Stormont and delivering stability in government. We have seen over the last year how the current arrangements fail to deliver for people, but these parties are more than happy with the current set-up as it serves their own ends and their polarising brand of politics.
“If we want to rebuild the public’s trust in government and politics here then we first must remove the ability of any one party to collapse Stormont at any time. This acts as a constant sword hanging over our institutions and paralyses politics here.
“We have heard much crowing about these parties’ modest achievements in government today, but when it came to putting real accountability at the heart of the Executive, they once again failed to rise to the challenge. One year one from the restoration of the institutions the First and deputy First Minister won’t even commit not to collapse the place before the end of this mandate. For some parties their own selfish interests will always take precedence over what’s best for people in Northern Ireland.”