Ferris - What Are The PDs Afraid Of?
Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Natural Resources, Martin Ferris TD, has asked
the Progressive Democrats to explain why they are so hostile to the Centre
for Public Inquiry. Deputy Ferris was speaking in response to the controversy
surrounding Minister for Justice Michael McDowell’s accusations against
Centre Director Frank Connolly.
Deputy Ferris said:
“This week we had the extraordinary spectacle of a Minister
using Dáil privilege to make serious allegations against a named individual.
That was only the latest in a campaign spearheaded by PD elected
representatives and certain journalists, designed to undermine the
credibility
of the Centre for Public Inquiry.
“The question that must be
posed is: What exactly are the PDs afraid of? Is it that the CPI has
already published two reports revealing some of the
scandalous
decisions made in relation to the Corrib project and Trim
Castle?
Is it specifically because the CPI report on Corrib highlighted the
role
of PD founder Des O’Malley in giving away our oil and gas? Perhaps too
the
squeaky clean PDs have other skeletons in their closest including the
origin
of the large amounts of money that were donated to the party on
their
foundation in the 1980s. It is understandable, in that context, why a
professional
independent body of inquiry should be disliked.”ENDS