Martin McGuinness – ‘I will not be standing in the Assembly election’

» John Hedges

An Phoblacht Editor

‘For the institutions to collapse on the basis of the failure [by First Minister Arlene Foster] to show humility, to stand aside and allow an investigation to begin, is particularly gutting for me’ – Martin McGuinness

MARTIN McGUINNESS – outgoing deputy First Minister in the North’s Executive government – has revealed that he will not be standing for re-election as an MLA in the 2 March poll for the new Assembly.

He insisted, however, that he will be “doing what I can to get the best Sinn Féin vote possible because I think strengthening our hand in the negotiations that will happen as a result of this going to be very, very, very important”.

He added:

“Whatever happens on the other side of the election has to represent meaningful and fundamental change which is accepted and recognised by the entire constituency in the North.”

He disclosed that he had had already discussed within Sinn Féin his plan to stand aside on 8 May – the tenth anniversary of going into Government with Ian Paisley.

The crisis caused by First Minister Arlene Foster and her Democratic Unionist Party’s mishandling of the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal and the axing of the Líofa Irish-language bursary had brought matters to a head earlier than he had anticipated.

“What changed over the last eight or nine months? A number of decisions.

“One of which we would have continued to fight was the ridiculous decision to remove the Líofa bursaries to the kids from disadvantaged areas going to the Gaeltacht to learn Irish.

“For £50,000 – a drop in the ocean – to be withdrawn certainly confirmed what I had already said previously – that there were people in the DUP who hated the Irish language and the extension of all of that is if they hate the Irish language then they have no respect whatsoever for the nationalist and republican community in the North.”

And then came the RHI scandal, which happened to coincide with a downturn in Martin’s health.

“I was just after a hospital visit when I see the interviews with Jonathan Bell and Arlene Foster in which Jonathan Bell, a former minister in the Executive, effectively was accusing his own party of corruption. And that was huge. 

“For me to be part of an administration that was being accused of corruption – on top of the NAMA stuff, on top of the Red Sky stuff – was absolutely intolerable and under no circumstances is Sinn Féin willing to be part of an administration that is going to be continually subject to this sort of allegation, particularly when it’s coming directly at our partners in Government. 

“I felt I had no option whatsoever [but to resign] and it was with a very sore heart that I had to do what I had to do.”

He explained:

“My own health situation has coincided with that, so I have given very serious thought to this over the course of recent times and I have taken a decision that I will not be standing in the election.

“I will support the party as best I can during the course of that election because I am very determined to overcome this illness.

“I am very determined to contribute to the growth of Sinn Féin throughout all of Ireland’s 32 counties. 

“I am also determined to be involved in the work of unity, peace and reconciliation.”

● Martin McGuinness with former Methodist Church President Reverend Harold Good at a reconciliation event hosted by the Sinn Féin 'Uncomfortable Conversations' initiative

He told of how much he has been given “great hope and confidence for the future, even since I’ve taken ill” from the “many, many, many thousands of letters and messages of support and goodwill from right across the community”. 

Some of the most meaningful are from a very wide representative body of opinion from within the Protestant churches, the Sinn Féin leader at Stormont said.

“People who have been in touch with me, who tell me that they are praying for me – named me in their churches during the course of their prayer.

“I think that shows, hopefully, where I’ve made an impact; that the contribution that I have made hasn’t just been for my own party or for the republican or nationalist constituency – it’s been an attempt to reach out to everybody on the basis of equality, parity of esteem and respect.”

◼︎ Martin McGuinness was interviewed at length in a Sinn Féin news video.