Speaking during her speech to the Alliance Party annual conference, Mrs Long said for politicians to have the confidence of the public, parties must be open and transparent, a fight Alliance was leading.
“Only by being so can the public scrutinise and judge for themselves whether politicians are making their decisions in the public interest or their own or their party’s interests,” she said.
“Every year I speak at our conference and every year there appears to be some accusation of corruption or greed at the heart of our political system. It’s as though nothing is learnt from the repetition – nothing changes except what was the whiff of corruption is now rapidly becoming a stench which hangs heavily over the guilty and innocent alike.
“Year after year Alliance has pressed for change and year after year other parties seek to pause progress, further fuelling the public’s mistrust and suspicion. Scrutiny is key to delivering open, transparent and accountable governance. No politician should seek to pause progress towards delivering it and the public will rightly question the motives of those who do.”