NORTHERN Ireland Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie of the SDLP visited New York last week where she spoke to reporters about key areas of political progress being made by the new power-sharing Executive. Ritchie told the Irish Voice, "Progress in the North will require movement on three fronts - the political front, the economic front and in social development - ending division and segregation. "While you have economic and political stability in the North there is still a dysfunctional society. Many people live in segregated communities. That's one of the main messages I'd like to bring to Irish America, that we want to tackle disadvantage and segregation and move people towards a shared future of living together. That third strand copper fastens our political stability and economic stability."During her visit Ritchie also made reference to the four new victims commissioners who were appointed in January to address the needs of the victims and survivors of the Troubles. Said Ritchie, "We have four commissioners and the issue now is to address the problems, the grief and trauma suffered by victims of the Troubles. There's none of us who don't know victims who have endured such trauma over 35 years."Nobody can return to them their most precious commodity to them - their husband, their wife, their sons or daughters. But it's important that the commissioners have the legal ability to address those issues. The second issue is that it will come with the fullness of time, and I think it's important now to let them get on with their jobs."Since taking office in May 2007, Ritchie has faced into a political storm over her decision to take on the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), insisting that they get no taxpayers' money until they start giving up their guns. Ritchie faced a barrage of criticism for her decision to cut 1.2 million from a fund established to help the UDA abandon paramilitarism. The criticism came not only from Finance Minister Peter Robinson and a host of Sinn Fein ministers, but also from senior civil servants at the Executive."I stick by the principles of democracy," she told reporters. "I want to help deprived Loyalist and Protestant areas, but I cannot ignore ongoing criminality and violence."Ritchie admitted last week that she cannot currently address the issues surrounding the UDA matter because the case will go to court in April. Critics have claimed that Ritchie's hardline stance forced the UDA to dig in its heels rather than change. However the minister countered that instead it forced them to seriously address the issue of decommissioning, noting that they subsequently opened talks with General John de Chastelain, the Canadian tasked with overseeing paramilitary disarmament, and his commission. Ritchie argued that had she not acted, they would have done nothing.During her visit to New York, Ritchie met with New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Laura Lazurus, the deputy commissioner for Housing Development in New York City, to discuss details of her new housing agenda, recently launched in Northern Ireland.
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