Disclosure Today calls for campaign fi nance transparency

Maharaj, in a statement issued last Thursday (November 10), lamented that while “substantial lip service has been paid to the need for Campaign Finance Transparency, to date, nothing has been achieved, with the result that the people of TT are being asked once again to vote (for) a party or candidate without any knowledge as to which special interests have financed their campaign.” “More so, with the recent Cabinet re-Shuffle there is now in the public domain questions regarding the role Party Financiers did or did not play in the choice of the selection of Ministers,” Maharaj stated.

The DT CEO made it clear that the organisation firmly believes there is no need to wait on the passage of legislation “in order to know this fundamental information,” adding that “there is absolutely nothing in law” preventing TT’s political parties and candidates from “disclosing their financiers today.” Maharaj noted that election financing transparency requires proper record keeping of donations, expenditure and sources of cash and in-kind assistance, in respect of the political party, its offers and individual party candidates.

Hence the call by DT for all political leaders in the upcoming Local Government elections to make the following commitments:

Political Party Obligations & Voluntary Disclosures 1) That your Party will comply with all requirements of Section 4 of the Code of Ethical Political Conduct and that you will publish widely and reasonably in advance of Electi n Day, for the benefit of the electorate what due diligence measures your Political Party has established to ensure such compliance.

2) That proper records will be kept of all cash and in-kind donations received by the political party whether directly or indirectly for the purposes of hosting political meetings, print, broadcast and online advertising and other general election campaigning and party expenses (i.e., events, transportation, consultants, custom advertising clothing, gift s). Inkind donations include the provision of goods, works and/or services for the benefit of election campaigning where the payment for, discounted off set and/or donation of service gratis or at below market price has been made by a third party.

3) That proper records will be kept of the total expenditure by the political party and every third party supplier of goods, works and/ or services for the purposes of the election campaign.

4) That 48 hours before Election Day a statement will be disclosed to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the media containing a list of all sources of funds whether cash or in-kind from a single source (including servants and/or agents or representatives) where the aggregate donations exceed $50,000TTD.

5) That within 90 days after Election Day a final audited account will be published and provided to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the media of the total cash and in-kind donations received and the sources of same and the total expenditure by the Party, including third party suppliers of goods, works and/or services, on the 2016 Local Government Election Campaign.

Party Candidate Obligations & Voluntary Disclosures 6) That each Party Candidate will be instructed by the Leadership (a) to conduct and manage their election campaign consistent with the regulatory requirements under the Representation of the People Act Chap 2.01; (b) to keep or cause to be kept a proper record of all cash and in-kind donations received by them whether directly or indirectly for the purposes of hosting political meetings, print, broadcast and online advertising and other general election campaigning expenses (i.e., events, transportation, consultants, custom advertising clothing, gift s); and (c) that full disclosure of the sources of their funds whether cash or in-kind and an estimate of total cash and in-kind donations received and total expenditure on the 2016 Local Government Election Campaign be made available to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the media within forty-five (45) days of the election.

7) That the Party Leadership will ensure that there are adequate controls in place to monitor Party Candidates‟ conduct and management of their respective election campaigns for regulatory compliance and for consistency with standards of integrity in public life.

Request for Political Party & Electoral Finance Reform 8) That there will be included in the Party Manifesto a commitment that if successful at the election, Political Party and Electoral Finance legislative reform will be undertaken within the five (5) year term after open and adequate public consultations that ensure maximum citizen engagement in the design of the legislation.

We are also renewing our call on the Government to make public its policy position as it relates to Campaign Finance Reform. This policy position should then be subject to extensive debate and consultation with members of Civil Society and citizens across both islands before any substantive legislation is bought before Parliament. Such a collaborative approach would help to restore public confidence in our political systems and signal progress toward the development of a healthy participatory democracy.