Windhoek
Political parties will soon be left with no choice but to reveal their sources of funding, a practice circumvented for years by political parties in the country.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is busy devising ways to regulate the process that will force political parties to disclose their sources of funding.
Experts have over the years argued that by disclosing their sources of funding parties promote transparency, and that it will also help the electorate understand why parties pursue certain political, social and economic agendas.
The 2014 Electoral Act permits political parties to receive foreign or domestic financing but it should be disclosed to the ECN, and political parties must in the prescribed manner submit details regarding all donations received by such entities, or persons, once a year to the commission.
The ECN’s director of elections Professor Paul Isaak yesterday said that the commission was still working on ways to regulate the process.
“They [political parties] may receive donations but they must disclose it to the ECN. We are in the process of regulating it,” he said.
The law is also clear that a donation should be disclosed in the prescribed manner and that the total donation that the registered political party, registered organisation, member or person can receive may not exceed a prescribed amount in a financial year.
As the regional council and local authority elections draws nearer and political parties prepare for their campaigns, the debate whether political parties should publicly disclose their sources of funding remains relevant to many.
Despite that, the Namibian political landscape is one in which parties do not disclose those who fund them, partly also because donors prefer to remain anonymous in most cases.
Transparency has been the mantra over the years but the taxpayers, who will during the current financial year fork out N$116.8 million to fund the operations of the 10 political parties represented in parliament, are not being accorded the chance to scrutinise the funders of their parties.
Each of the 104 seats in the National Assembly is currently worth N$958 000.
Donors are known across the world to dictate to the political parties they fund the type of political agendas they should pursue if voted into power.
Revealing party funding will help allay any fears of conflict of interest because in the absence of transparency around funding sources, the public will not know if state contracts are being awarded to individuals or companies because of the funds they donated to the party during elections.
Just like political parties outline their political intentions in their manifestos, voters will be able to determine whether programmes mooted in manifestos are of any benefit to any of the donors.
Ombudsman John Walters yesterday argued that parties should in fact disclose their funding sources, primarily in the interest of transparency.
“If people know how much parties receive from government, why is it an issue to disclose who funds them further?”
“I think they should disclose and there should be transparency all over. Supporters and members of parties should be entitled to know where funding comes from,” said the ombudsman.
Political analyst Dr Hoze Riruako concurred with Walters’ sentiments yesterday. He feels that parties should disclose their sources to stop dirty money entering the political system or to prevent politicians from being controlled by those who fund them.
“There is a real need for disclosure. We know campaign money is an issue in Namibia, hence you see most of the smaller parties kick start their campaigns only shortly before the elections,” he said.
Riruako however opposed Namibia’s practice of funding parties on the basis of proportional representation, saying it has a detrimental effect on smaller parties.
“The system deprives participatory democracy because smaller parties will not have the money to reach all corners of the country, while the ruling party is well resourced because they also control the means of production and distribution of wealth, and it can be used as a campaign tool,” he said.
Earlier this year, there was a huge public outcry after a company owned by a businessman who donated a campaign bus to Swapo’s election campaign last year formed part of the entities in the race to land a N$6 million contract to take President Hage Geingob’s official portrait.