Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 07/Sep 07:30

What politicians seem to fear

WHEN it comes to political integrity, credibility and accountability, few things matter more than a country having laws governing election-campaign financing. For this important reason, not only have we had repeated public calls for such legislation, but our political parties have repeatedly promised such legislation. The PNM promised, the UNC promised. That’s all. Why? Are politicians scared of legislation on election financing? In fact, during his years as PM, Dr Keith Rowley, gave a review of the many times this matter was raised in Parliament. Dr Rowley promised to do something positive about it. That’s all. The UNC has the special majority to do the right thing now. Two days after Guyana’s national elections, the head of the European Union Election Observer Mission to Guyana forcefully recommended in their preliminary report that Guyana implement laws on election-campaign financing. Striving for an equal election playing field, Robert Diedron said, “Campaign finance is largely unregulated, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability” in the election process. Additionally, chairman of the Commonwealth Observer Group Fekitamoeloa Katoa U’toikamanu, while commending the calm and peaceful voting, pointed to public mistrust in state institutions and the need for the authorities to implement recommendations made over many years. She advised the Guyanese government to give priority to “legislative and constitutional reform needed for the conduct of credible, transparent and inclusive elections.” Like the EU mission, she recommended “the reform and regulation of campaign financing to promote fairness, transparency and accountability.” Both international observer teams implied that without regulated election-campaign financing, the election would not be fair and free for all parties. Notably, the OAS Election Observer Mission led by former Jamaican PM Bruce Golding, while also commending the calm and peaceful voting, has not yet called for election-campaign finance reform for Guyana. Last week, my columnist colleague Tony Rakhal-Fraser called for election-finance regulations. This is another on the list of broken political promises, leaving behind a population that seems unaware of its critical importance to the country’s democracy. Why? Democracy requires civic vigilance too. Part of the history of this matter is election-financing motions moved in the Senate by Helen Drayton and me. I recall when my motion was approved in the Senate, Colm Imbert, a PNM minister in the Lower House, refused to treat with it, since, he said, senators “do not fight elections.” But this is exactly why the motion from the Senate is more acceptable than from a noisy, divisive debate in the Lower House. My motion was opened for debate on January 1, 2009. It stated: “Whereas support or election campaigns is necessary for a healthy multi-party democracy, And whereas the electorate needs to be satisfied that all viable political parties contest elections which are fair and transparent, and whereas the issue of election financing has been the subject of widespread public concern during the last 30 years in this country, “Be it resolved that Parliament appoint a joint select committee to consider a legislative framework to govern the financing of election campaigns and to submit its report with recommendations to both Houses of Parliament within six months of its appointment.” So this issue has been of widespread concern for 30 years before this 2009 motion and another 15 years after the 2009 motion. Forty-five years in all. And still, nothing done about it. What a way to run a country’s democracy! Will it take a foreign group to embarrass us into doing it? As the Guyanese election observers noted, election-campaign financing laws help prevent state corruption and build trust in the political system. Where are our chambers of industry and commerce? Our human-rights organisations? Our profound-thinking letter-writers? Shouldn’t politicians and Parliament show an active interest in improving the political system after being elected? Both observer missions – the EU Observer Mission and the Commonwealth team – are now pressing the Guyanese government to implement the required legislation, which has been frequently recommended before. Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana have all initiated constitutional reform. Will election-campaign financing be one of the reforms implemented? President Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali should make this a priority. When will the UNC and PNM jointly make this a priority too? Minister in the Office of the PM Darrell Allahar should start the ball rolling. The post What politicians seem to fear appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.