The imperative of political financing reform

Jose Miguel Insulza, Contributor

During the last five years, the Organisation of American States (OAS) has observed elections in no fewer than 10 of its Caribbean member states. A recurring theme in the run-up to these elections has been campaign finance. As in other parts of the world, money does not guarantee an electoral victory in the Caribbean, but it is essential to be competitive. Politicians, and citizens alike, bemoan the prohibitive cost of campaigns and lack of transparency in raising very large sums of money. The lack of meaningful legislation in this arena has contributed to the public's growing disenchantment with politics, primarily - and most perniciously - among the youth of the region.

Campaign financing is vigorously debated before and during an election, but dropped almost as soon as the ballots are counted. If left unattended, though, this issue will continue to erode the credibility of elections and the political parties that compete in them.

Early next month, the OAS will present to the political leaders of the Caribbean, model legislation addressing what we consider some of the more salient issues regarding campaign and party financing in the region. We are cognisant that each country is unique, with its own challenges and opportunities in this area. This legislation is not meant to be a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a modest effort to spur public debate and provide suggestions about where and how to start.

We believe that there are three urgent areas that need to be addressed in the Caribbean. First, political parties need a juridical definition. Are they private or public institutions? Should they rely on private contributions, public funds or a combination thereof? Should there be other requirements to register a party, such as the drafting of bylaws, election of candidates or a certain percentage of women in leadership positions?

Second, political parties should be required to disclose their finances, including contributions and expenditures. This disclosure could be public, available to all citizens over the Internet, or exclusively to a regulatory enforcement agency. Political leaders complain about the high cost of campaigns, but few have been able to place a precise figure on the amount raised and spent in a given campaign. Is the problem that campaigns cost too much or that nobody knows how much they really cost?

Lastly, Caribbean countries should create and support well-funded, autonomous national agencies to effectively regulate campaign financing. Several countries in the Caribbean already have independent electoral commissions, such as the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, which will co-host the September meeting with the OAS. These entities must be endowed with the financial, human and legal resources necessary to accomplish their formidable tasks. Of course, the effectiveness of these organisations depends on the political as much as the technical. Their leaders must possess the political acumen to deal with political leaders as peers and the independence to ensure that the law is equitably enforced.

Public perception of political parties is rarely positive. The very nature of their activities, competing for power does little to endear them to the average citizen. Yet, democracy cannot thrive without political parties. They bring together the disparate interests of the citizenry and offer alternatives in the public sphere. They compete for power and assume the responsibility of government if they succeed. Nevertheless, the rules of this competition, especially as it relates to money, need to be clear and applied equally to all those who choose to compete.

We invite you to review the OAS model legislation on political party and campaign financing at our website [http://community.oas.org/political parties/default.aspx] and offer your comments and suggestions to us and the political leaders of the Caribbean.

Jose Miguel Insulza is secretary general of the Organisation of American States.