Dear Editor, President Michael D. Higgins has done it again. In questioning why reform of the direct provision system was missing from discussions on the formation of Government and the Government’s reliance on the private sector to build homes, he has gone beyond the remit of his non-political office. Mr Higgins seems to have forgotten that he is no longer a working politician on the opposition benches but the first citizen of Ireland. His job is to represent Ireland on a national and international stage, not to publicly question Government policy.
Don’t get me wrong. I actually agree with Mr Higgins on both issues. The direct provision system for accommodating asylum seekers is a disgrace. It is dysfunctional, unjust and is having a detrimental effect on young children. The homelessness crisis is also appalling and the new Government seems to be dragging its feet on actively addressing the issue.
However, it is not the role of the President to criticise the Government in the media. Surely he should be making his feelings known privately and working behind the scenes to use his influence? I can’t imagine Government ministers reading about it in the national press are impressed.
This latest episode is also particularly irksome as it comes hot on the heels of his wife’s unprecedented public criticism of the Constitutional protection of the unborn in this country. The Higgins’ presidency is changing the traditional role of the office of the President and change is not always for the better.
Yours etc.,
Josephine O’Brien,
Limerick city.