Opposition Leader, Bishop Joseph Atherley.
Opposition Leader, Bishop Joseph Atherley, has suggested that funding surrounding elections needs to be better regulated.
He has additionally stated there must be strong support for legislation geared to counter anti-corruption practices and to promote Integrity in Public Life.
In an article on ‘Integrity in Governance and Campaign Financing’, the leader of the People’s Party for Democracy and Development (PdP) recently put forward a case of the pros and cons of having such in place.
Arguing for why such measures should be implemented, Atherley said, “Ad hoc or less than strictly enforced laws and regulations in relation to election financing allows for the entrance and influence of unsavoury actors not motivated by any other than their material interests unto the arena of policy and institutional governance. Corruption becomes the inevitable eventuality and sometimes the norm in such circumstances, since political figures do not always appreciate that they have been given a high sense of responsibility; and that they must execute that trust in the most upright way possible.”
On the other hand, he said: “Those who support private financing cite the enormous expense to the State. They advocate that it allows for the involvement of civic groups; that it counters government limitation on speech.”
Atherley suggested that perhaps “what is required is a mixed approach in a context where there is robust regulation and full disclosure; ceilings on contribution limits; and the appropriately required levels of accountability and transparency”.
He reminded that “corruption comes with high-level costs to states. Monies are misappropriated; funds are diverted from needed programmes; contracts are awarded subject to special interests influence; public office and the privileges associated with it are assigned to the unscrupulous and unsuited campaign or party donor. That is the menace of unchecked campaign financing”.
He said therefore, “it is imperative that any nation state which pursues the ideals of democracy, which seeks to develop and mature a representative system of governance, which is vested with limited resources, and which is exposed to the vulnerabilities associated with the formulation of policy platforms and the programme implementation flowing therefrom, seeks to put in place a well-conceived framework for anti-corruption and integrity in public life”.