CAMPAIGN FINANCING PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRACY
“Modern elections cannot be contested without money. Staff costs and campaigning expenses are necessary for the political competition on which democracy depends. Yet the financing of political parties often provokes distrust and cynicism – sometimes for good reason – about the motives of both the givers and receivers of political donations.” – Recommendations on Political Financing, Transparency International, February 2020.
The Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) website provides a report on the 2018 election, including a declaration by each candidate of the expenses which they incurred in the campaign. The maximum amount declared by any candidate was BB$71,864 and the total by all Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidates was $1,334,092 and all Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidates was $945,331. Hopefully, the report on the January 2022 general election will soon be posted on the EBC website.
Any Barbadian looking at these numbers would find it hard to believe that the campaigns for either the BLP or DLP were run on these relatively meagre amounts. It does not take a rocket scientist to conclude that this was not the case. The campaigns must have cost significantly more than the figures submitted to the EBC by the individual candidates. Therefore, most of the contributions would have been paid to the political parties and the expenses paid by the said parties. As the law governing elections currently stands, political parties are not required to submit any information to the EBC, nor to declare sources of funds or how those funds were used. There is a limit on the amount of funds that any individual candidate can spend on a campaign, but no similar controls over political parties. IGB considers that Barbados requires a stronger monitoring framework for campaign financing.
Recent reports in the press and on social media concerning a stolen cheque from the office of a government minister, raise the wider issue of all payments to politicians, and not just as part of financing an election campaign. In the absence of established regulations and protocols, it is understandable that the lack of transparency creates an environment of “distrust and cynicism about the motives of both the givers and receivers of political donations” to quote Transparency International.
IGB, in its submission to the Constitution Reform Commission in February of 2023, raised the issue of campaign financing. IGB shared the view that it is time that political parties be required to register with the EBC and that they should be required by law to submit annual returns on sources of funds and details on funds used to finance election campaigns. In addition, for full transparency, the source of any donation over a certain minimum amount, whether made as a single contribution or a total contribution during any one year, should be explicitly identified.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel! Reference can be made to Canada, where the Elections Act provides a framework designed to make the financing of the political system more transparent. The Canada Election Expenses Act of 1974 introduced the registration of political parties and introduced limits on election expenses for both candidates and political parties. Transparency measures and limits were also imposed on election advertising by third parties – persons or groups other than candidates, registered parties or electoral district associations of a registered party. Political parties must submit financial reports to the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada by June 30 of each year and in the case of an election, an expense return eight months after the election. The reports must include the name and address of anyone contributing more than CDN$200.
In its February 2020 report entitled “Recommendations on Political Financing”, Transparency International recommends that governments:
- Apply comprehensive disclosure regulations to the finances of parties and candidates and ensure that all information is published regularly and in a timely manner via a single online portal, during campaigns and in between elections.
- Introduce limits on sources and the size of donations to political parties and candidates, and encourage a broad base of donors, to strike a healthy balance between public and private funding.
- Open the process for development of new regulations applicable to political financing.
- Give oversight agencies the autonomy, powers and capacity to effectively enforce political finance regulations and receive and investigate public complaints, report on outcomes and sanction those who breach regulations.
IGB accepts that adequate funding of political parties and candidates is a healthy aspect of our democratic process. However, this must be accompanied by transparency and accountability. It is not uncommon in Barbados to see politicians lambast an individual or commercial entity and allege that there has been ‘hanky-panky’ in their dealings with politicians on the other side. Yet, when the same politicians get into power, they are seen to be entering into deals with the same individual and commercial entity whom they castigated from the platform. This creates a high level of suspicion among the public and undermines the trust in the political process. Some will say that he who pays the piper calls the tune. As it stands now, there is no way to know who paid how much and to whom in support of any political party. All Barbadians are stakeholders in the political process and should be treated like shareholders in a public company, by having access to campaign spending of all political parties.
Elections in Barbados are not constitutionally due until early 2027, but under our system of parliamentary democracy, they can be called at any time. There is time to remedy the deficiency in our present laws and implement a framework that will make the financing of political parties transparent. In the absence of positive changes, our democratic system of government is at risk.
About Integrity Group Barbados (IGB) – IGB is a voluntary, apolitical, open grouping of citizens from various sectors of the Barbadian society; including the private sector; academia; the legal fraternity; civil society and others. IGB is committed to lobbying for the adoption of legislation that supports integrity in public life and providing feedback on relevant new legislation. IGB aims to be a voice for the unheard and a champion of integrity, transparency and accountability in the private and public sector. IGB actively encourages public debate on issues of integrity and corruption. https://www.integritygroupbarbados.com/