Monday 7th January 2002

“At the dawn of this new year there are two faces the world sees of Northern Ireland.

“One face is of a determined business community which, despite years of problems which would have destroyed many a community, is grasping opportunities to bring prosperity and economic progress.

“The constant search for new opportunity, new industry, new employment and a more stable economy goes on. Despite all those difficulties let none of us forget the successes. Too often we down-play our successes. Too often we concentrate on the problems.

“Look at the appearance of Belfast and compare it with only a few years ago. The atmosphere has changed beyond belief. We have learned the hardest lesson of all. The world does not owe Northern Ireland a living. We have got to go out and sell ourselves. Many of the business community are doing just that – and they deserve immense credit.

“But the second face is just as real. It is a face of community division, sectarian hatred, violence and unrest. It is a picture no community can be proud of nor can tolerate. Time and again it is this face, which the media portrays across the world.

“Here we all know the facts. Here we know how negative this picture can be for prospective economic progress. The causes of this picture of a sectarian city divided against itself lie deep in our history. But it is a picture, which constantly tries to pull us back as we try to move forward.

“The choice for us all in 2002 lies between those two pictures, those two faces.

“What does this new year hold for our Province?

“Which of these two faces will dominate our lives?

“I want to ask the business community to take fresh heart this year. Slowly but surely we are building a new society of justice and equality. But we must not weaken in our efforts. How can we translate the spirit of hope into the reality of ordinary everyday life? How can we push the division into the past once and for all?

“Economic progress has a vital part to play. But so too does our attitude to each other.

“The time for sectarianism is past. It is time to confine it to our dark past: to put it back into our history. Recently the Secretary of State spoke in Liverpool about one section of our society feeling ‘out in the cold’ in this Province. If this is true we cannot allow the addressing of the alienation of one section of this community to be replaced by the alienation of another. The business community has a vital role to play in this process. But we must all get a new confidence in ourselves. Confidence is the key. Confidence can remove fear. It can overcome inequality and injustice. If we can gain a new confidence in ourselves we can gain a new confidence in each other.

“Hope and confidence must be our watchwords as we move into a new year. We can overcome and we can build that new society – together…”