MLAs, who are members of the Orange Order, today
handed in a letter of protest to the office of the Social
Development Minister Margaret Ritchie in protest about remarks
she made recently about the Institution.
The MLAs were accompanied by the Grand Master
of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Robert Saulters.
He said:
"There are 37 members of the loyal orders in the Assembly,
just over one third of the entire number. That is a very significant
percentage and we wanted to point out to Ms.Ritchie that these
Orangemen are making a positive contribution to the political
process in Northern Ireland and she should take note of that
fact. Our members are very busy and we were delighted that
so many could take time out of their diaries to sign the letter
in the Great Hall at Stormont today. Others, who could not
attend, contacted me to voice their support.
The letter handed in to the office of Ms Ritchie
said:
"We are writing as members of the Northern Ireland Assembly,
including members of the Executive, who are also members of
the loyal Orange Institution.
"On Monday, November 17, 2008, the Irish
News reported that, speaking at a GAA Conference in Belfast
you said 'while the loyal orders have some progressive people
around who wish to move them forward to a better place, they
remain unlike the GAA sectional and sectarian and deeply divisive
in our community'
"As members of the Loyal Orange Institution
and colleagues in the Northern Ireland Assembly we take great
exception to these remarks.
"We think it was quite inappropriate of
you to make such a statement just one day after an Orange
Hall was blown up outside Pomeroy in Co. Tyrone.
"These remarks are themselves unfair, divisive
and potentially inflammatory and as such there would be a
considerable body of opinion that you may also be in breach
of your Ministerial Code of Conduct.
"As you have not denied the report publicly,
we call on you to withdraw those remarks as a matter of urgency."
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