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One
can only welcome Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly's recent
demand for the restoration of Republican and by definition
also loyalist prisoners democratic rights. One does
not have to support the continuation of the armed
struggle by a small group of republicans to recognise
that the current republican inmates of prisons in
the north of Ireland and England, would not be there
if it were not for the abnormal, undemocratic nature
of the six counties Statelet brought about by the
continuous partition of the island of Ireland.
This
being so these prisoners should be treated whilst
in jail under the same conditions that were attained
through struggle by previous generations of Republican
prisoners. To attempt to return to year zero as the
prison authorities, under what appears to be if not
direct instructions, then active connivance from the
Secretary of State Murphy, is simply unacceptable.
The recent statement by the Minister responsible in
the North for prisons, Ms J. Kennedy is one either
of crass stupidity and historical ignorance, or provocation,
brought about by the Blair governments belief that
Sinn Fein will not publicly join the campaign to demand
that these prisoners are treated in the proper manner,
for fear of jeopardising their position viv a vis
the GFA.
Lets
hope that Gerry Kelly's statement proves the aforementioned
incorrect, after all Sinn Fein MPs, Councillors, etc.
have a duty to represent their constituents and if
requested to do so, intercede on their behalf in an
impartial manner. I am sure they do their best to
do this, but it has to be said that at this time there
can be few of their constituents who deserve and should
therefore get their elected representatives support
than those prisoners currently suffering discrimination
in Maghaberry and elsewhere. The more so as history
has taught us that what happens within the British
administered prisons of the north of Ireland, has
an effect way beyond the confines of those sad and
oppressive institutions.
Sinn
Fein has enormous experience of dealing with the type
of crisis that is steadily building up within Maghaberry
jail, Already we have seen the republican prisoners,
perhaps through inexperience, isolation or downright
frustration embark on a series of protests that could
well have been avoided with earlier wholehearted intervention
by outside forces such as Sinn Fein. After all these
republican prisoners despite political differences
with SF are part of its constituency. This is an enormous
opportunity for SF to show that the political course
it has set by accepting the end of the armed struggle
and the Good Friday Agreement, is one that can deliver
not only long term but immediate benefits to the communities
from which the overwhelming majority of SF activist
and supporters come.
That
the acceptance of the GFA has not resulted in a dilution
of SF core republican values, after all the manner
in which republican prisoners are treated stands at
the fore of these, no matter what political differences
the prisoners may have had on the outside. One only
has to see the unity in death of the PIRA and INLA
hunger strikers to understand this.
To
conclude then it is not enough for leading SF activists,
no matter how well intentioned to make isolated calls
on the prisoners behalf, Sinn Fein must bring to bear
all its considerable resources to ensure that the
abuse of republicans currently within Maghaberry jail
ceases forthwith. After all what is the point of having
Sinn Fein Ministers administering the northern Statelet
if they cannot protect some of their most vulnerable
constituents.
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