Editorial

It is generally only close to an election that political party financing and state funding surface to the country’s political radar screen, only to be dropped by the wayside weeks after the results are announced. This time, though, the subject has cropped up half way the legislative term and there is even a commitment on the part of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi now to introduce a law regulating political party financing before the next general election. However, it is safe to assume the closer the country gets to a general election, the greater would be the difficulty to enact such a law, for the frenzy that accompanies electioneering would generally tend to overshadow the need for transparency in the financing of political parties.

Never mind the Galdes report on party financing, which now dates back to 1995, the issue is generally swept under the carpet as the parties step up their drives to beat their opponents. To do this they need all the financing they can get to grease the wheels of their political propaganda machine. This time, the subject shifted centre stage again in the wake of allegations that one minister received donations from a construction company to finance his political campaign. The minister has denied the allegations but the story prompted the Prime Minister to make the commitment for the introduction of the law before the next general election.

More than two months ago, a parliamentary secretary in the office of the Prime Minister, Franco Debono, was entrusted by Dr Gonzi to do the necessary legal groundwork for the new law. In the Galdes commission, the three main parties had different views as to the threshold over which the names of donors would be made public but the majority had finally agreed that the identity of donors giving more than €11,647 would have to be made public and donations above €23,294 would be made illegal. These thresholds would naturally have to be reconsidered in the light of the time that has now passed since then but what counts most is not the laying down of the thresholds but the observance of the law.

The charade the country witnessed at the time of the last European Parliament election over the candidates’ expenses had only helped to add to the people’s distrust in politicians generally. Ensuring, through legislation, that political parties are financed in a wholly transparent manner to avoid influence peddling is easier said than done, as the situation in other countries, where they have had such laws for years, shows only too well. In fact, often enough, rules regulating party financing are only honoured in the breach.

State funding of political parties is, of course, a different matter altogether. There are strong arguments both in favour and against state funding but what stands out today is the seemingly uncontrolled growth of party machines. Taking the two main political parties in Malta, for instance, both have lavish headquarters as well as their own television and radio stations. Should taxpayers be made to fork out money to a party whose policies run contrary to their own, irrespective of whether or not the funds are to be used directly for electioneering purposes?

Parties ought first to trim much of their unnecessary expenses before they expect the taxpayer to foot the bill for any of their work, if at all. And even then, it is not exactly the right time to consider state funding, is it?