Political party funding long overdue
Debate on political party funding is once again taking centre stage. In our last week edition, women from different political parties, including the ruling party were of the view that the time is now for political party funding. Some called for funds to be channeled to women politicians in an effort to increase female representation in politics.
The debate for political party funding has been raging on for years, but sadly, government appears not inclined to entertain the idea, citing tighter budgets and the need to prioritise.
That is true - there is need to remain cautious as the economy struggles to emerge from the recession.
Poverty and unemployment remain high and there are immediate needs that government must fulfill. The rampaging COVID- 19 pandemic which is destroying economies is also not helping the situation.
However, nurturing democracy too cannot be expected to be cheap. Political parties need funding. Election campaigns are not cheap to run. The Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP) government’s continued rejection of political party funding serves only to stifle democracy and the ability of opposition parties to fully participate in the elections.
Talk of free but not fair elections. As some argue, lack of political funding breeds bribery.
Apparently many within the opposition ranks who join the BDP are promised money and fortune.
The BDP government has always attracted criticism for not warming up to the idea of political party funding, but revelations that the party has been benefiting from De Beers over the years continue to linger on and raise suspicions that the corporate sector has always had the government of the day beholden to it.
Money buys political influence. Private donations to the ruling party have always been viewed with suspicion, as it is a party in government. Of course, BDP will always deny the existence of such influence.
Giving in to corporate interests is arguably one of the most corrupt practices by a ruling party and the BDP must clear the air and explain its connections.
While the ruling party can afford to make such promises to the rich and powerful in exchange for slush funds, opposition parties continue to struggle to raise money from their not so connected members.
It is not surprising why a handful BDP members call for political party funding, while the majority of them are against it.
The current system is heavily skewed in favour of the ruling party as it has the muscle to rely on funds from a number of undisclosed sources, including, crucially – the well- heeled business community.
The opposition largely depends on negligible donations from members and well- wishers.
The opposition is no doubt hamstrung by its lack of funds. This is against the spirit of fairness in a democratic setup. In many other progressive democracies, party funding was introduced decades ago.