Edmond Campbell, Senior News Co-ordinator
The two major political parties have written to the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), confirming their support of an 11- point recommendation in respect of the recognition of political parties.
This comes against the background of a conference hosted by the EAC in July to discuss campaign financing and related issues.
At the conference, represent-atives from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), the People's National Party and the National Democratic Movement, along with Citizens Action for Free and Fair Election, and independent members of the EAC, agreed on a number of recommendations.
The proposals include:
The registration of political parties to ensure greater scrutiny and accountability to members of the public in their disclosure of their assets and liabilities.
To state their aims and objectives.
To issue audited annual financial reports to the Electoral Commission that would be published by the commission.
Annual election of officers of the political parties.
All parties should disclose their method of dispute resolution.
Affirmative regulations should be provided for the disclosure of the total amounts contributed by private sources.
Affirmative regulations would be established regarding the limits that could be received in cash or kind.
Registered political parties would be eligible to receive public funding to a prescribed minimum.
To limit the maximum expenditure for election.
Parties and candidates to report total expenditure for local and general elections.
Parties should submit annual budgets and give statements of their financial activities six months after an election.
Participants at the conference also listed sanctions for breaches, noting that inadequate and false reporting could lead to deregistration. Penalties would also be enforced for donations from anonymous sources.
Meanwhile, Tom Tavares-Finson, JLP representative on the EAC, speaking at a Gleaners' Editors' Forum last week, said the process to establish an electoral commission to replace the electoral Advisory Committee should have been fast-tracked.
"It is said that every scandal should be a trigger for change and I think that we have a big trigger," Tavares-Finson said in relation to the Trafigura Beheer affair.
The Electoral Commission will, among other things, approve political parties eligible to receive state funding, administer electoral funding and financial disclosure requirements, and monitor election expenditure by candidates or their official agents.
On Friday, the Senate gave the nod to the establishment of the commission, when it passed the Interim Electoral Reform Act. The House of Representatives had passed the legislation recently.
