Mr Colum Eastwood said that the only way the perception that the board's appointment was not a continuation of a 'jobs-for-the-boys' culture was if the site was utilised to its maximum economic potential.
He added that the waste and lethargy in other designated regeneration sites, most recently highlighted by the Public Accounts Committee, could not afford to be repeated on the Maze/Long Kesh site.
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He said: "The real test and barometer of the newly appointed Maze/Long Kesh Corporation is whether they successfully strive to fulfill their obligation of developing the site to its maximum economic potential.
"Any controversy or perception of a continuation of a jobs-for-the-boys culture will be fully eradicated if full economic delivery is expedited on the site.
"The problems and delays which have begot and bedeviled the development of other designated regeneration sites can’t afford to be repeated. I am particularly aware of this given the frustratingly slow progress surrounding the development of sites by Ilex in Derry.
"Recent reports by the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee into the management of former security sites need to be taken on board by the newly formed Corporation. Lessons must be learned in order that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
"The Maze/Long Kesh offers a massive economic opportunity. The public will not easily forgive if political preferences or distractions delay or obstruct the potential economic benefits to our people."
(CD)
