Former Director of Elections in Jamaica wants campaign funds to come from public purse
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| Published on Monday, December 8, 2008 |
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By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com
KINGSTON, Jamaica: Former Director of Elections Jean Pierre Kingsley is encouraging Jamaica to press ahead with plans to fund political parties from the public purse.
Kingsley was the main presenter during a forum on campaign finance reform held at the University of the West Indies, Mona, last week.
The Jamaica Gleaner reported that the former director of elections, who is credited with leading the modernisation of the Canadian voting process, urged the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) to continue with the proposed reform of campaign finance. He added that if this was not done the country's democracy could be compromised.
"If the political system does not regulate the money, then one may well expect that the money will regulate the system,” Kingsley said, while noting that most Jamaicans were in favour of their tax dollars being used to fund political parties.
According to an ECJ survey on the relationship between governments and political parties, 71 percent of Jamaicans supported funding political parties from the public purse.
Kingsley said 49 percent of Jamaicans were strongly in support of directing their tax dollars to fund political parties.
He argued that 56 per cent of those surveyed said strengthening political parties financially with public funds would enhance democracy.
"Money is required in politics and rightly so, if the aims of democracy are to be achieved," he said. | | | | Reads : 922 | | | |
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