Claims by Iranian businessman Mohammed Harajchi that he was a major financier of the Progressive Liberal Partyﾴs 2002 general election campaign have pushed the issue of campaign finance reform back into the spotlight.
Mr. Harajchi claimed that he financed the election campaign of the Progressive Liberal Party to the tune of $10 million. But he has not been able to prove it and the prime minister has denied that Mr. Harajchi contributed that much.
Free National Movement Leader Senator Tommy Turnquest said Thursday the PLP was ﾓobviously prepared to do anything to win.ﾒ ﾠ
Acknowledging that elections are very expensive in The Bahamas, Mr. Turnquest said those who are offering for public office should have the integrity to take money from reputable sources.
ﾓIt has to be all encompassing where you look at not just the donors, but how much the politicians are able to spend,ﾒ said Mr. Turnquest, who was contacted by the Bahama Journal for comment. ﾓIf we do it in that fashion, it would really be worthwhile.ﾒ
This is not the first time the FNM leader has called into question the source of the money used to finance the PLPﾴs election campaign in 2002.
Less than a year after the election, he alleged that the PLP had used drug money during the campaign. Although he promised to provide the evidence to prove this, more than a year and a half later, Mr. Turnquest has still not done so.
Meanwhile, President of The Bahamas Bar Association Wayne Munroe said on Thursday that the ability of persons to participate in politics would be limited if a cap were put on how much money they are able to contribute to political parties.
ﾓYou have to look at it very carefully,ﾒ Mr. Munroe said. ﾓCampaign financing is not as straightforward as people think. ﾠYou have to look at the privacy issues of that too.ﾒ
In an interview with the Bahama Journal, Mr. Munroe pointed to the freedom rights enshrined in the constitution. ﾠ
ﾓYou want to curtail my freedom to give my money to whomever I want? ﾠIf I support a party itﾴs because I think theyﾴre going to act in my interest,ﾒ he said.
ﾓI give you money for your campaign. ﾠWhatﾴs improper about that? ﾠThe most you should have is the requirement to disclose who contributes money to you and with that come privacy issues,ﾒ Mr. Munroe said.
Mr. Munroe added that with all the social concerns facing the country, campaign finance reform is not an issue that needs to be addressed through legislation.
ﾓI think we have a lot more important things to pay attention to first,ﾒ he said.
Mr. Munroe was not keen on the suggestion that The Bahamas follow in the footsteps of the United States in that the federal government gives sizable chunks of money to the major parties. ﾠThere are however caps on how much money is given.
ﾓSomehow I donﾴt think that the Bahamian people want to pay for peopleﾴs campaigns out of the public treasuryﾅinstead of spending money on schools, roads, hospitals and all the other things that require public funds,ﾒ Mr. Munroe said.
But not everyone shares his views.
PLP Chairman Raynard Rigby feels having money from the public purse allocated to finance political parties would minimize any appearance of conflict of influence peddling.
ﾓMaybe thatﾴs something we ought to look at. ﾠMaybe perhaps not at the magnitude at which the Americans do it, but there ought to be some support from the public purse to political parties,ﾒ Mr. Rigby said.
He said one of the things a country like The Bahamas must be ﾓcarefulﾒ of is that the business of running a political campaign does not become so expensive that it dissuades persons who have a genuine interest in giving public service. ﾠ
Mr. Rigby suggested that this might be an issue that could be discussed during the ongoing constitutional review process.
ﾓWe would be wrong to just dismiss it without talking about it and getting a sense for what the populous feels because I recognize the fact that there is a cross-section of our population who may say ﾑanybody who wishes to engage in public service at that level should be able to fund their own electoral campaigns,ﾴﾒ Mr. Rigby said.
He noted that there are some persons who may not feel that campaign finance reform is an urgent issue as the next general election is three years away.
Mr. Rigby added that the PLP is ﾓhappy and gratefulﾒ that Mr. Harajchi acknowledged the fact that no favour or contract was offered to him in exchange for his contribution.
ﾓIt is not illegal, inappropriate or improper for individuals to make donations to political parties in this country,ﾒ Mr. Rigby pointed out.
He said there is a level of confidentiality which exists when people donate to a political cause, particularly when there is no legislative framework to protect the identity of the owner.
ﾓSo any political party in the country, given where we are now and what the culture is, would have to be very careful when it makes public the magnitude of its donations,ﾒ Mr. Rigby said. ﾓThat is something that generally does not occur in The Bahamas. ﾠ
ﾓIt is something we would have to consider when the circumstances are right and when the timing is right,ﾒ he said.
In a press release Thursday, Prime Minister Perry Christie said his party planned to make public details of its accounting as it relates to Mr. Harajchiﾴs contributions.
ﾓOrdinarily we would not disclose the source of campaign contributions but as Mr. Harajchi has made this a public issue we are obliged to present the detailed facts concerning his contributions as indeed we will do as soon as possible,ﾒ the prime minister said.
Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
