Each candidate who contests a general election has an expenditure limit broadly based on the number of registered voters in the constituency. The limit is overseen by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Source: Vote Barbados 2003
One major source of funding is through the Parliament (Administration) Act 1989 (CAP. 10). This facility allows parliament to provide an annual subvention of BDS$300,000 which is shared among the political parties having a parliamentary presence. In addition, each constituency is entitled to an office and a stipend of BDS$750, as well as the provision of a constituency assistant attached to each Member of Parliament under the provisions of Section 10 of the Parliament (Administration) Act. Finally there is also a tax-incentive granted to Members of Parliament, which allows them to claim up to 5,000 annually or 10% of their Parliamentary salary (whichever is smaller) in respect of financial contributions to their political party.
Source: Political Party Campaigning Financing
In recent times the issue of campaign financing in the region – Jamaica is a recent example but of more relevance to Barbados is the mystery which shrouds Prime Minister Owen Arthur and the alleged donation of BDS750, 000.00. The allegation was given currency by Leader of the Opposition David Thompson back in April 2007 under the cloak of parliamentary privilege in the House of Assembly. Despite our best research we have not been able to identify a direct rebuttal by the Prime Minister to the charge that he received a party donation, and for an unexplained reason the cheque was deposited to his personal account at FCIB. What has brought new focus to what many believe is a system which requires change is the creativity of political parties to attract campaign financing to ‘buy votes’.
Source: Cartoon Stock
For those of you who are following the build-up to the US Presidential Election in November 2008, one thing is evident, the system which governs donations to ALL candidates and political parties is managed with a large dose of transparency. Any hint of a violation of the rules is met with a public inquiry. Based on the outcome, it can result in the political career of the candidate being flushed down the toilet or the reputation of the political party being sullied.
A research paper co-authored by well known Political Scientist Peter Wickham explains:
Research into the culture of political party financing reveals that there are no substantive regulations on political party financing in Barbados, however, the state does provide financial support to political parties through several mechanisms. One major source of funding is through the Parliament (Administration) Act 1989 (CAP. 10). This facility allows parliament to provide an annual subvention of BDS$300,000 which is shared among the political parties having a parliamentary presence. In addition, each constituency is entitled to an office and a stipend of BDS$750, as well as the provision of a constituency assistant attached to each Member of Parliament under the provisions of Section 10 of the Parliament (Administration) Act. Finally there is also a tax-incentive granted to Members of Parliament, which allows them to claim up to 5,000 annually or 10% of their Parliamentary salary (whichever is smaller) in respect of financial contributions to their political party.
However he is quick to caution …
there is no requirement or indeed any intention on the part of political parties to publicly disclose such details.Indeed, as has been stated by the BLP official, disclosure of financing is unheard of even within the upper echelons of the party itself, far less to the wider public. Parties are therefore unlikely to maintain records of party spending and financing in order to maintain the anonymity of party financiers and well-wishers. This leads one to conclude that the unregulated nature of political party financing in Barbados is a process generally shrouded in secrecy, a lack of transparency and accountability to the public at large.
Source: Political Party Campaigning Financing
The BU household is firmly of the view that major improvement is required to the existing system to ensure that the current abuse and manipulation of political campaign financing in Barbados is curtailed. It is not unreasonable to conclude that if the government of Barbados is responsible for issuing substantial contracts to the private sector that a system to prevent ‘undue influence” on any incumbent government becomes mandatory. The practices of the past have served us well but the advent of globalization has clearly demonstrated that it cannot be business as usual. International companies with deep pockets and our own barefoot politicians is a recipe for a level of skullduggery!
The need for a change to the rules governing political campaigning is glaringly evident if we try to explain the continued silence of Prime Minister Owen Arthur to the accusation that he accepted a ‘donation’ of $750,000.00 to his personal account at FCIB.
Related Stories:
David Thompson Has Owen By The “Balls”~When Will He Squeeze?
Prime Minister Owen Arthur Can Prove His Innocence In The Cheque Affair With The Help Of His Bank Manager At FCIB
Housing, jobs cry
THE GUYS of Durant’s Village, St James, have planned Donville Inniss’ victory party to be at Peter’s Variety.
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT and unavailability of affordable housing seem to be two of the major issues of the upcoming general election on January 15.
A DAILY NATION team caught up with two Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidates as they canvassed their respective constituencies in St Michael Central and St James South yesterday, and the report card was basically the same.
The number of unemployed people seems to be so high that questions are being asked about the authenticity of figures being put out by the Government.
“Surprisingly, one of the issues was unemployment. It puts a lie, really, to the numbers being put out by the Government regarding the single-digit unemployment figures,” Steve Blackett said yesterday as he made the rounds in Bush Hall.
The need for housing has seen a changing face to home ownership and property development in the country.
Candidates spoke of a growing trend where children were making attachments to their parents’ homes.
Donville Inniss was adamant that the provision of housing should be a priority of any Government.
“Housing is a major problem . . . . Any responsible Government has to accept that housing is a right and not a privilege,” he said.
The DLP plan to address the issue of housing will be unveiled during the election campaign, but Inniss offered suggestions in the areas of reduced taxes on inputs, affordable lands and the provision of subsidised housing by Government.
Blackett has been in the field for over a year and he said the next three weeks would be spent revisiting particular areas, to “cement the support that is available to us”.
Inniss has been hitting the pavement in St James South for the past nine months and is confident of a happy “birth”.
“It’s time for the baby to come home. I’m in my third trimester,” he stated from Peter’s Variety in Durant’s Village, St James.
Another complaint common to the canvassers was the lack of proper recreational facilities, where the youth in communities could be engaged in wholesome activities.
Wood said Emerald Park, where more than 500 housing solutions will be created in phases, was an indication of Government’s commitment to working with the private sector to tackle the problem of shelter.
He also provided constituents with a list of about 25 roads to be worked on during the next three years, including Crane to Crane Gardens, Belair Main Road, the St Martin’s to Rock Hall highway and the Beulah to Rices road.
He also spoke about the Government’s plans for the constituency, which include creation of more sporting facilities and wide access to natural gas.
“We have a lot more in store for this constituency,” he told the DAILY NATION
Just how comical can this gang of crooks get when after 15 years of making their pockekts fat they can now in an election campaign state please vote for me I have all these things that I want to tease you with to do for you.
This is a case of if they could not get in done in 15 years which is an eternity by anyones decription, do you really expect them to serious about doing it?
The reply is a clear and certain NO but once again they seem convinced that they can fool the public with nonsense like these statements are.
Mottley added, noting the need to sometimes turn the other cheek and remain focused on objectives and committed to one’s values.
Surely mottley must be joking when she made this inept comment, WHAT VALUES SURELY SHE IS NOT REFERRING TO MORAL VALUES IS SHE?
For we all know that many of them from within that group of misfits are devoid of anything called MORALS they may not even know how to spell the word or what is was intended to mean.
Wishing in Vain: Stupid goon.
I can’t wait for 16 January 2008… that’s the day you will disappear forever.
Anonymous,that’s the day you will disappear forever.
A GROWING ARTHUR DICTATORSHIP?? NO WAY IS IT TO BE ALLOWED VOTE TO KEEP
BARBADOS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY VOTE DLP
You and your lot never cease to amaze we the citizens of this island, your willingness to create a DICTATORSHIP is VERY BOLD and in your face manner very disgraceful and AGGORANT.
I LOVE MY FREEDOM, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF THOUGHT,FREEDOM TO VOTE FOR THE DLP
VOTE TO KEEP BARBADOS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY VOTE DLP
Where has Farley been for the past 15 years?
Quite amusingly he now has so many plans to built so many houses, how come up to now he not seen it fit to make houses for 15 years but suddenly he has thousands houses to be ready before elections.
What a load of nonsense but then again would we expect more from a non functioning pertson such as Farley is.
Wishing in Vain,
“but suddenly he has thousands houses to be ready before elections.”
When did he say he would have thousands of houses ready before elections, you foolish LIAR?
You think people weren’t listening to the program? Get lost with your stupid lies!
News reaching BU indicate that the BLP is being bankrolled by the usual suspects. In St. Philip South, Anthony ‘too silent’ Wood has Sir David backing him all the way.
Wishing in Vain // December 27, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Where has Farley been for the past 15 years?
Quite amusingly he now has so many plans to built so many houses, how come up to now he not seen it fit to make houses for 15 years but suddenly he has thousands houses to be ready before elections
………………………………………………………………..
I was totally surprised with Chris Sinckler being used on the Brass Tacks programme before the incumbent shadow Minister Michael Lashley. That was a total embarrassment By the way it is on record by the said Chris Sinckler that the Dems on assuming the Government will be giving all terrace units owned by The National Housing Corporation, FREE to TENANTS that are living in them. A promise is comfort to a fool. Beware.
To waste time on you idiot Frankology is useless you are a complete brainless idiot
Doom
Barbados would be doom if the DLP wins this election.
I would love to say the same for the BLP but truth is only the BLP is capable of running this country now, they is no other choice as yet, but the real government to run Barbados would be a PEP and PDC combination they have the correct view and beliefs to run a country the Godly and fair way.
I would not speak on they behalf, but I urge you to get hold of the representative of these two parties and read up on the literature they have out, and if you see it with an open mind and ask your self truly what you want for your self and your family feature you see the only way Barbados can go forward is a PEP and PDC combination and if these two parties can’t join forces, a new force will rise that belief in those basic fundamentals and take this Barbados in to the feature a prosperous nation.
Let us sit back and watch what’s going on and ask who out all these person can be a true leader, I have know this for many years, and I was delighted to came cross this very powerful information and I have it copy here with no added or subtracted information.
And I want you now to compare this to what the PEP and PDC have put forward on the table, and you will see clearly what we have to do, make sure the only representative DLP have in the house of parliament is Denis Kelman and make sure we vote in the two from the PEP and two from the PDC
After this happen we would see the wheels turning in the right direction,
I beg my people to stop letting politicians and persons with so call authority to stop classing us up, we have enough divides and separations in the world and Barbados all ready,
STOP answer to the name when call the poor black people. We are disadvantage not poor
We are not ordinary black people or the ordinary working class, we are all the same citizens of this country asking for no special treatment but to be treated in a just and fair way as citizens of this country.
We are not first class, second class or third class. We are citizens of this great nations the envy of the western hemisphere and we wanted to be treated as equals to every other citizen of this nations, don’t be label as no DLP or no BLP or PEP or PDC don’t be a yard fowl don’t be bought, let there be no more division in this new Barbados, whether it be in schools, communities, politics, race, religion… let they be no separations on this tiny islands
Don’t be called a small black business man, don’t ever settle for less. We all equal don’t settle for less in order to receive incentives from the government, stop taking hand outs its time we stand up and stop being bought by our own money that we work for in the first place, time to realize the big illusion and see the so call politician as the masters of trickery and magic as there truly are please let your vote be counted and make a cut with your X that could never be heal and let new blood floor a new and energized Barbados.
As a country where every decision and every cent spent be accounted for and was done true the input of the people of Barbados.
If you got this message online I love this to be pass on to every one you know, for a chance for a better Barbados, for those online get hold of the Philadelphia Trumpet ,dated October 2007, and read pages 3 to 5 or go online www thetrumpet.com,
I would just love to say if we speak out of ignorance that’s all will come out of us, but I don’t understand the talk about the black and white, but any person any leader who plays those cards are not as inform or aware as they should be,
I am talking about what I call actual living truth, all man as we see today came from Africa, what we call the white man came from Africa all man came from Africa,
So if we are really serious about this moving a head, we have to stop calling ourselves black people have u ever really seen a real black man, have u ever seen a real white man or yellow, so for me once you used that word black to describes what your doing and your self, from start you have shown full complete ignorance,
Yes they where people who fought for us using the terms black power, freedom to the blacks, but my brother those days are over, we need to ready our selves for it, we may not be here but as it is said, so it was in the beginning in be in the end, soon they be no variations of skin tones we be all back as when we first leave Africa and venture out in the cold where we have adapted to our environments and the color of our skins change, but soon we be all back the same color , and when that happens wont we see our selves as one , or we still find reason to hate and blame our short comings on,
The world, even in our little Caribbean, we are joining to become one, Europe have done it the united states of Americas have done it, the stage is set to be come one world with one currency and one ruler, if we don’t face up and stop letting petty issues of skin tone and monetary values keep us back, the world will go on to be as one with or without us and those we fight against would rule, and it wont be of any good, those who worship the evil, my fellow man they is only one fight that’s good against even,
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=4177.0.98.0
I would just love to say if we speak out of ignorance that’s all will come out of us, but I don’t understand the talk about the black and white, but any person any leader who plays those cards are not as inform or aware as they should be,
I am talking about what I call actual living truth, all man as we see today came from Africa, what we call the white man came from Africa all man came from Africa,
So if we are really serious about this moving a head, we have to stop calling ourselves black people have u ever really seen a real black man, have u ever seen a real white man or yellow, so for me once you used that word black to describes what your doing and your self, from start you have shown full complete ignorance,
Yes they where people who fought for us using the terms black power, freedom to the blacks, but my brother those days are over, we need to ready our selves for it, we may not be here but as it is said, so it was in the beginning in be in the end, soon they be no variations of skin tones we be all back as when we first leave Africa and venture out in the cold where we have adapted to our environments and the color of our skins change, but soon we be all back the same color , and when that happens wont we see our selves as one , or we still find reason to hate and blame our short comings on,
The world, even in our little Caribbean, we are joining to become one, Europe have done it the united states of Americas have done it, the stage is set to be come one world with one currency and one ruler, if we don’t face up and stop letting petty issues of skin tone and monetary values keep us back, the world will go on to be as one with or without us and those we fight against would rule, and it wont be of any good, those who worship the evil, my fellow man they is only one fight that’s good against even,
Any suggestion of giving NHC units to longstanding tenants could only be described as visionary.
No wonder frankology derides such a proposal – IT MAKES SENSE.
The NHC charges ridiculously low rents for these units, pays a large administrative and maintenance staff to upkeep them, collect rents etc – Who in their right mind would run a business like that?
It makes sense to GIVE the people the units, (or sell them for $1.00 each) and completely reform the ridiculous NHC scam.
The country would save MILLIONS per year as a result.
Globalization what do that means to you.
Its election in Barbados and every one is going way out to be the ruling government.
So many of us are taking in by what have been said in and out of parliament.
And things that have been fling at opposing candidates on the campaigns floors.
But do any of us see the real big picture, do we really see what’s happening right in front our very eyes.
I once read that the flapping of a butterfly wings can affect the climate on the other side of the world how true I don’t know.
But on the very same hand I know that every single thing that happens around the world effect us directly here in Barbados and the Caribbean.
I say we chose to complicate things because we chose not to do the simple things that make life so easy.
As the time moves on well for Barbados and not so many of our sister islands, because we have advance so fast, our leaders are now set on having a developed first world Barbados. Some may say the cost of progress is very high.
But don’t we see our world is getting smaller by the day, we may love to cry and say Barbados is ours no one have the rights to come here and buy land no one have the rights to do this or that, but realistically as the world becomes smaller and technology advance, all we had once believe in and stand for will be no more.
The churches some of the oldest institutions on earth are rising up to take the place they once help when back then what they call the new world was now beginning. The Catholic Church lead by the pope and the uniting of the European states the pushing of Germany to be the head of Europe, the destabilizing of the African, Asian and Middle East countires even in our back yard the continuing conflicts between Cuba and the USA. The ongoing aim of the powers to be, to destabilize Venezuela all these things are the steeping stone for a new world order where the weakest will fall and the strongest will stand,
we have long giving up the life of the bible and the teachings of the bible, man is no longer man, we are no longer civilize we are like the beast of this world, like the giant cats of the African savannahs we go where we can survive, or adapt to living conditions that’s meets us.
It’s not many of us that can leave Barbados and go foreign to seek a better life or so you may call it,
Our leaders or the so-call ones that we chose by or X to rule and handle the affair of this country are single grains of sand in this new global arena.
Clothing, shelter and food, the needs of every man,
This is the time for a man to be a man, stop with the batty style stop being weak we have no feminine sides, rise up and be the kings of your castle of your home, be the provider for your family and for you own welfare, be your brother keeper, don’t depend on no government for your survival, till the soil for your bread, treat you woman like queens and the mothers of the universe teach your sons and daughters the right ways of life, reject all the negative and evil, by doing all these things you will acquired the skills to survive in this new world,
I say in the end it should be like the beginning, because all we know of would be no more, and all we thought we have accomplish would be no more, we be back to the days when man was man and man obeys the Gods of the universe and we live in perfect harmony with all that dwell and make this world we live in the great creation it is.
THIS is the end, they is no Jesus Christ to come save you, you waited 2000 years for,
The end is here by our own making for we have neglect and reject the basic natural laws of the universe, man sleeping with man……. And as the end comes a new world awakes us , one where man try to fix the wrongs and destruction he have subject this world we live in to. Can we stop the ice caps from melt? Can we prevent the hurrican from being more destructive than we ever know and the sea reclaiming the land………………….can we?
So it doesn’t matter the out come of this general elections life is the greatest gift and with life comes survival, the fight is ours the choices are ours.
We have heard of it but have we really live it, well it going be a truly dog eat dog world, so if yah not
A Chinese sorry for yah lol.