SELSKAR NATIVE Emmet Moloney has declared his intention to contest the forth-coming general election as an independent candidate.
The 29-year-old from Wexford town has stated that “Wexford’s crime problem” is the focal point of his campaign.
Mr Moloney is the son of well known Wexford couple Joe and Phyllis Moloney. After working for a number of years as a manager at different Dunnes Stores supermarkets across the midlands, he recently returned to Wexford to take up a post as a manager at the contact centre Eishtec.
The election candidate previously canvassed for Colm O’Gorman in 2007, but was never a member of the now defunct party.
Describing himself as a “floating voter” he noted that he was concerned that others in the same position might be tempted to return the same government, hence his decision to put his name forward as an alternative choice for the public.
Distancing himself from the extreme left, he maintains that while he is opposed to some of the austerity measures imposed by the current government, he is more centre than parties on the left such as People before Profit.
He told this newspaper that his primary objective if elected would be to tackle the problem of crime throughout the county.
“We need to have a bigger focus on crime. The closure of garda stations, the not fit for purpose equipment that gardaí are forced to use and the sheer shortage of gardaí are problems which need to be addressed,” he said.
Noting that so-called “habitual offenders” are not being penalised appropriately by an excessively “lenient” judicial system, he expressed the need to review the system.
Mr Moloney has also cited his motivation to campaign for a more equal wealth distribution as a key driving force in his decision to put his name forward.
“I have been thinking about this for some time, but I only announced my decision to stand last Tuesday night,” Mr Moloney said.
He added: “I am passionate about highlighting the plight of the working poor. Austerity measure are not helping the working poor.”
In a statement published on his election campaign Facebook page he claims that “it is wrong that a married couple who are both working are unable to to do anything other than barely pay their way. A huge majority of working people in Ireland could be categorised as working poor.”
Similarly, short-fallings in the provision of mental health services are a cause for concern for him.
“It has been over-looked. The lack of mental health services is clear, especially since the closure of St Senan’s Hospital,” he said.
He continued: “We have three government TDs in the county and this problem still hasn’t been looked at.”