Campaign finance reform
thenassauguardian editorial
In the House of Assembly recently, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham put MPs on notice that they are expected to submit public disclosure records for 2009 and 2010 in accordance with the Public Disclosure Act.
The prime minister also threatened to make public the list of MPs who have not yet done so. MPs,along with numerous other public officials, have until March 31 of each year to disclose their financial records for the previous calendar year. The last records made public were for the year 2007, and not all MPs disclosed that year.
It is up to the Public Disclosure Commission to make those records public. Senior public officers who fail to disclose, their and their immediate families' assets, interests and income could be subject to a $10,000 fine, up to two years in jail or both.
And where the offense involves the deliberate non-disclosure of the property of a senator or MP the court could order the property forfeited to the government.
While The Bahamas is well ahead of some of its regional counterparts in requiring individual public officers to disclose their financial records, it's time to take it one step further in the form of campaign finance regulations.
As it now stands, the financing of political campaigns in The Bahamas is considered an entirely private affair between party candidates and political parties and their contributors.
And it's apparent that there is no real political will to change that arrangement.
The idea to regulate campaign contributions has received a lukewarm response at best, and if raised at all often results in vague, empty promises.
In a democratic society, donating to a campaign is a right. Through a campaign donation an individual or group can show support and belief in a particular candidate or political party.
Political parties obviously need to raise funds. But the concern is that if left unregulated, donations from private sources, such as wealthy individuals, foreign investors or large companies can lead to undue influence on the political system, drowning out the interests of the poor and less powerful. There is also the very serious concern about tainted funds.
Election campaigns are an expensive venture. And while money does not ensure victory, lack of money will almost always mean defeat. The high cost of election paraphernalia and the long-time tradition of money in the hope of getting votes only exacerbate the situation.
Both Ingraham and Opposition Leader Perry Christie have commented publicly on the high cost of election campaigns.
The Ingraham administration recently fulfilled one of its key legislative promises when it tabled the long overdue Freedom of Information Bill. It did so as part of its pledge to promote greater transparency and accountability.
The governing party, opposition and all political organizations that one day hope to lead this country should all get behind campaign finance reform in a meaningful way.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to campaign finance reform. The context and political culture must be taken into account, and regulations should not hinder healthy competition. But no one would argue that the process should not be made more transparent. Legislation should be developed that regulates media policy, what donors are allowed to do, how much parties are allowed to spend, what they must disclose and to whom, and what meaningful penalties would be imposed for non-disclosure.
Campaign finance reform deserves a place on the political agenda. It is not a new idea, but it's one worth repeating as often as possible until something is done about it.
Dec 03, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label campaign finance reform Bahamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label campaign finance reform Bahamas. Show all posts
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham: I would not be late in calling the next general election
PM Laments Election Costs
By Macushla N. Pinder
If Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had his way, he would reform the way general elections play out in The Bahamas.
This he said would include shaving down the amount of money spent on the process.
"In order to make elections less expensive, I’d like for political parties to all agree and to make illegal the giving away of t-shirts at election time. It’s a very expensive proposition. It drives up costs," Mr. Ingraham told reporters yesterday.
"In other parts of the world like Barbados, people come in and buy the party’s shirt. They pay their $5 and $10 for it. In The Bahamas, we give out thousands and thousands and it’s very expensive."
The prime minister’s comment came during his response to campaign finance reform, an issue that always arises when another general election draws near.
During the 2002 election season, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) promised to address the matter, but nothing was ever made public in this regard.
The party at the time said, "The Constitution ought to provide that Parliament may prescribe by law for open and fairness in procedure for funding of parties at elections both local and national. There ought to be prescribed national limits on party political expenditure with appropriate penalties."
After the 2007 general election, former Prime Minister Perry Christie suggested that one of the reasons the Free National Movement won is because special interest groups and "hidden forces" heavily financed it.
But Prime Minister Ingraham yesterday told reporters he has no difficulty "whatsoever" disclosing the source of his funding.
He however pointed out that those countries that do have campaign finance laws have found them to be "very ineffective."
But places that do have campaign finance laws, they have found it to be very ineffective.
"What they spend on elections in the United States is unbelievable and they have campaign finance laws. You cannot legislate honesty. The dishonest would be dishonest no matter what you do," he said.
In addition to campaign finance laws, some Bahamians also believe that public debates heading into a general election should be a must.
Mr. Ingraham however disagrees.
"I think parties put forward their platforms and programmes and the public has the opportunity to choose," he said.
"There are debates that take place everyday. When we have the rally, we will have a debate. We will say what we have to say. The next side will say what they have to say. I don’t think one-off is going to help people help make their minds up one way or the other. I think we have a very effective system."
While keeping mum on when the next general election will take place, the prime minister assured Bahamians he would not be late in calling it.
"It will not be that my minister of immigration would be in Marsh Harbour, Abaco swearing in new citizens – Haitians, who were given citizenship – and they go next door to register to vote and the prime minister in Nassau announces that elections have been called," he said.
"I will not be doing that kind of foolishness."
March 17th, 2011
jonesbahamas
By Macushla N. Pinder
If Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had his way, he would reform the way general elections play out in The Bahamas.
This he said would include shaving down the amount of money spent on the process.
"In order to make elections less expensive, I’d like for political parties to all agree and to make illegal the giving away of t-shirts at election time. It’s a very expensive proposition. It drives up costs," Mr. Ingraham told reporters yesterday.
"In other parts of the world like Barbados, people come in and buy the party’s shirt. They pay their $5 and $10 for it. In The Bahamas, we give out thousands and thousands and it’s very expensive."
The prime minister’s comment came during his response to campaign finance reform, an issue that always arises when another general election draws near.
During the 2002 election season, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) promised to address the matter, but nothing was ever made public in this regard.
The party at the time said, "The Constitution ought to provide that Parliament may prescribe by law for open and fairness in procedure for funding of parties at elections both local and national. There ought to be prescribed national limits on party political expenditure with appropriate penalties."
After the 2007 general election, former Prime Minister Perry Christie suggested that one of the reasons the Free National Movement won is because special interest groups and "hidden forces" heavily financed it.
But Prime Minister Ingraham yesterday told reporters he has no difficulty "whatsoever" disclosing the source of his funding.
He however pointed out that those countries that do have campaign finance laws have found them to be "very ineffective."
But places that do have campaign finance laws, they have found it to be very ineffective.
"What they spend on elections in the United States is unbelievable and they have campaign finance laws. You cannot legislate honesty. The dishonest would be dishonest no matter what you do," he said.
In addition to campaign finance laws, some Bahamians also believe that public debates heading into a general election should be a must.
Mr. Ingraham however disagrees.
"I think parties put forward their platforms and programmes and the public has the opportunity to choose," he said.
"There are debates that take place everyday. When we have the rally, we will have a debate. We will say what we have to say. The next side will say what they have to say. I don’t think one-off is going to help people help make their minds up one way or the other. I think we have a very effective system."
While keeping mum on when the next general election will take place, the prime minister assured Bahamians he would not be late in calling it.
"It will not be that my minister of immigration would be in Marsh Harbour, Abaco swearing in new citizens – Haitians, who were given citizenship – and they go next door to register to vote and the prime minister in Nassau announces that elections have been called," he said.
"I will not be doing that kind of foolishness."
March 17th, 2011
jonesbahamas
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Ban foreign money from Bahamian elections
Ban foreign money from elections
thenassauguardian editorial
The Bahamas has been an independent country for 37 years. Majority rule came about in 1967. Since these two landmark events, our leaders have not seen the need to create rules surrounding election financing.
And we the people have not demanded that these rules be created.
Currently a slack system exists. Anyone with a bag of money can give that money to any politician or political party. And that’s that.
There is no public disclosure required. There is no accountability by politicians or political parties.
It has been rumored – and these rumors are likely true – that drug dealers, foreign investors seeking favors and foreign governments have given money to candidates and political parties in The Bahamas in the past.
Campaign finance reform has many components. We shall focus on three areas.
As a start to a process that should have begun a long time ago, The Bahamas should ban foreign money from its elections. It should also require public disclosure of donations over a certain level. And, a constitutionally independent electoral commission should be established to oversee the election process.
In democracies, only citizens can vote. Election contributions are powerful tools of influence. Money in elections is just as powerful as the process of voting, as it pays for advertising, which influences thought and behavior.
If foreigners cannot vote, they should not be allowed to sit on the sideline and influence who is elected in order to satisfy their own set of narrow interests.
According to the Federal Election Commission in the United States, a ban on foreign contributions to elections came about in 1966 in that country.
The second step to reform should be disclosure. In The Bahamas people give money to political parties. Then they get contracts when the party wins government. The bigger the donation, the bigger the contract received.
If a rule exists that makes public all donations over a certain amount, it would be harder for parties to simply share out state resources to friends.
A website should exist with the audited books of political parties, allowing citizens and the media to scrutinize who has given money to whom and what favors were received in return.
To oversee these initial reforms, it would be necessary to create a constitutional electoral commission.
If the rules governing the commission are not enshrined in the constitution, politicians will interfere with the body to ensure it cannot regulate the system.
The body should be led by a judge – someone with high integrity who has demonstrated impartiality.
The commission should be appointed by an extraordinary vote of Parliament – two-thirds or more – and it should be comprised of other similarly impartial people.
Additionally, an automatic funding mechanism should be set up to ensure the commission is adequately funded. Otherwise, the parties would ensure the commission does not have enough money to carry out its mandate.
These few steps are a mere beginning to campaign finance reform in The Bahamas. Being allowed to vote is only a small part of the democratic process. It is necessary to put these reforms in place so governments are accountable to all the people once elected, rather than the few who fund them.
thenassauguardian editorial
thenassauguardian editorial
The Bahamas has been an independent country for 37 years. Majority rule came about in 1967. Since these two landmark events, our leaders have not seen the need to create rules surrounding election financing.
And we the people have not demanded that these rules be created.
Currently a slack system exists. Anyone with a bag of money can give that money to any politician or political party. And that’s that.
There is no public disclosure required. There is no accountability by politicians or political parties.
It has been rumored – and these rumors are likely true – that drug dealers, foreign investors seeking favors and foreign governments have given money to candidates and political parties in The Bahamas in the past.
Campaign finance reform has many components. We shall focus on three areas.
As a start to a process that should have begun a long time ago, The Bahamas should ban foreign money from its elections. It should also require public disclosure of donations over a certain level. And, a constitutionally independent electoral commission should be established to oversee the election process.
In democracies, only citizens can vote. Election contributions are powerful tools of influence. Money in elections is just as powerful as the process of voting, as it pays for advertising, which influences thought and behavior.
If foreigners cannot vote, they should not be allowed to sit on the sideline and influence who is elected in order to satisfy their own set of narrow interests.
According to the Federal Election Commission in the United States, a ban on foreign contributions to elections came about in 1966 in that country.
The second step to reform should be disclosure. In The Bahamas people give money to political parties. Then they get contracts when the party wins government. The bigger the donation, the bigger the contract received.
If a rule exists that makes public all donations over a certain amount, it would be harder for parties to simply share out state resources to friends.
A website should exist with the audited books of political parties, allowing citizens and the media to scrutinize who has given money to whom and what favors were received in return.
To oversee these initial reforms, it would be necessary to create a constitutional electoral commission.
If the rules governing the commission are not enshrined in the constitution, politicians will interfere with the body to ensure it cannot regulate the system.
The body should be led by a judge – someone with high integrity who has demonstrated impartiality.
The commission should be appointed by an extraordinary vote of Parliament – two-thirds or more – and it should be comprised of other similarly impartial people.
Additionally, an automatic funding mechanism should be set up to ensure the commission is adequately funded. Otherwise, the parties would ensure the commission does not have enough money to carry out its mandate.
These few steps are a mere beginning to campaign finance reform in The Bahamas. Being allowed to vote is only a small part of the democratic process. It is necessary to put these reforms in place so governments are accountable to all the people once elected, rather than the few who fund them.
thenassauguardian editorial
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