Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) chairman Dr Norbert Masson is calling for urgent election campaign financing reform, especially since some $330 million expected to be spent in the run-up to the 2015 general election.However, it seems Masson's call may not be greeted with the critical urgency it demands since the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on election campaign financing is yet to be fully constituted.
On August 26 Independent senators Helen Drayton and Elton Prescott, SC, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, SC, People's National Movement's (PNM) Camille Robinson-Regis, Ministers Ganga Singh and Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie were appointed to the committee. However, to date, some three months later, the House of Representatives members for the committee are yet to be appointed.
It was pollster/political analyst Derek Ramsamooj who said last week, at the opening of the Association of Caribbean Mediaworkers (ACM) and T&T Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) media workshop on covering elections on Wednesday at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann's, that some $330 million was expected to be spent during campaigning for the upcoming general election.
Masson, addressing media practitioners at the same workshop, said, "The EBC continues to advocate tirelessly the need for political funding reform to ensure that "money does not equal speech," thereby "preventing the distortion of democracy by the corrupting influence of corporate money on the political process."He contended that currently the provisions of local electoral laws dealing with political financing in T&T focus primarily on the election expenses of candidates.
He pointed to Sections 44-59 of the Representation of the People Act, Chap 2:01 which, he said, "does not take into account the reality that political contests are essentially between political parties striving to win votes across all constituencies, as opposed to contests between individual candidates in electoral districts."
"The fundamental problem undergirding the issue of political-party financing, is the absence of a juridical and structural basis for the establishment of a political party. Nowhere in the laws of Trinidad and Tobago is the term political party defined: a serious drafting oversight. This has contributed much to the runaway state of affairs that exists today in political financing in Trinidad and Tobago, and the region," Masson declared.
He said while it was clear that putting a limit on the expenditure of individual candidates in any new or remodeled legislation would continue to be desirable, "the critical requirement of control of political party financing in any new law is a sine qua non (an essential condition)."
Robinson-Regis–Don't blame us
Robinson-Regis, in an interview with the Sunday Guardian on Friday, put the blame for the delay squarely on the Government since they are yet to name their appointees for the JSC.
"Nothing has happened as yet. As far as I understand it, the Senate appointed a team of persons who is to sit on the committee, but the House is yet to appoint its team. We are awaiting the Government. The Government will have to appoint their members and when they do, we (PNM) will appoint our members from the House, but nothing has been done as yet," Robinson-Regis said.She declined to say if she believed the delay was a deliberate act on the Government's part.
However, Robinson-Regis said it was a "stumbling block" to the work of the committee."I do not know if a request has been made (for the appointments), but nothing has been done as yet. I do not know if it's deliberate, but it is a stumbling block, especially in circumstances where the work of the committee has not even started and we are in an election year. I do not know how soon we will even start meeting," she said.
Robinson-Regis said the PNM was "very ready to start the discussion on this."She admitted that the PNM is "somewhat disappointed that nothing has happened thus far."
Ramlogan–Expect update next week
Ramlogan, when contacted for an update on the progress of the JSC, said he was out of office until next week and will have to check on the progress of the proposed legislation for campaign financing."We had debated in a motion on it sometime ago. I will have to see how far the process has reached. Call me next week," Ramlogan said.
Singh: Govt committedto campaign finance reform
Meanwhile, Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Ganga Singh is assuring that the Government remains committed to campaign finance reform. He denied that the Government is responsible for the delay in the appointment of the members of the House for the JSC. Speaking to the Sunday Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday, Singh said recommendations have been submitted to Speaker Wade Mark for the appointments.
He said four government members and two opposition members have to be appointed to the JSC, and he expects that this will be done shortly.
He explained, "Because of the budget, the extended debate and the finance committee that went on for five days, the matter was not dealt with. Of course, the finance committee and the budget takes precedence. The appointment of the government members of the House of Representatives will be done at the first sitting in the post budget period," Singh said.
He expects that sitting to be held later this month, that responsibility for the sitting resides with Housing Minister and Leader of Government Business in the House Dr Roodal Moonilal. "It is a matter of priority," he added. Singh indicated that in 2005/2006 he would have piloted the first motion of public finance reform and that was subsequently raised by Prof Ramseh Deosaran and more recently, Senator Helen Drayton.
"The Government is committed to it ( election campaign finance reform), it is part of our manifesto. So we are not trying to hide from it. And with the new standing orders the Prime Minister is open to questions," Singh said.
Masson–media companies can help
Masson said media houses play a critical role in campaign financing reform as well. "Increased advertising costs and discriminative pricing at election time, targeted at either political parties or individual candidates, both assist in driving up the expenses of campaigning. Will you be willing to consider free or discounted media during the campaign period as a major part of campaign finance reform?" he said.
Masson, speaking with the Sunday Guardian on Friday, said the Prime Minister has declared establishment of a JSC and he was of the opinion that something is being done about it.
"I cannot tell you anything further on it. I could only assume that the Prime Minister said that the JSC will be established and that it will be established. I hope that is something that will be done fairly quickly, and I have a feeling that it will be done fairly quickly. So I will await," Masson said.
He added that the EBC stands ready to provide whatever points of view that the political parties express to it. "Whatever consensus is drawn from that, we stand ready to relay that to the Joint Select Committee. But no doubt, political parties may themselves want to make their own submissions (to the JSC)," he said.
Robinson-Regis said for the PNM's part, they will wait to see what comes out of the discussions at the JSC.
However, she said the party did make some recommendations during the debate in Senate on the motion on election campaign financing that was piloted by Senator Drayton. She added, "We would like the discussions to begin before we could come with anything concrete, but we are ready to start. We think it is quite important for it to be done."
Carmona–parties must bite the bullet
Even President Anthony Carmona, in his address at the opening of the Parliament last August, stressed the need for transparency in election campaign financing. He said, "It (election campaign financing) is a veritable juggernaut that results in financiers arrogating political power unto themselves and thereby undermining the system of governance.
"Curiously, when political parties are in Opposition they call for transparency in campaign financing yet, when in the seat of power they conveniently neglect to address the issue. We must really get serious."The time has come when we must bite the bullet of campaign financing reform and introduce appropriate measures for disclosure, reporting and enforcement laws to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the country's electoral system."