Nationalist MP Franco Debono has rekindled his call for legislation on party financing, insisting in an opinion piece in The Times today that "it is time to pass from reports and committees to action and legislation".
"Some months ago, while being interviewed on public television (Dissett), I had described the issue of political party financing as extremely urgent and a priority. I strongly argued that the issue should be tackled immediately, considering its direct bearing on our country’s democracy," Dr Debono said.
He said the interviewer had dismissed his claims to urgency, apparently comforted by the fact that the issue was, at the time, being tackled by a parliamentary committee.
Recent events had, however, brought work in that committee to a standstill.
Dr Debono pointed out that 15 years ago, proposals on party financing had been made in the Galdes Report, but still, to date, nothing had come out of it.
The issue of party finance was crucial and central to any democracy in this day and age, he insisted.
As the Council of Europe’s Third European Conference of Specialised Services in the Fight against Corruption, held between September 28-30, 1998, had declared: “...political parties play an essential role in democratic systems.
“Their operation requires appropriate resources while electoral campaigns have become expensive. Faced with increasing expenses, political parties are unable to live only on their members’ fees and have to solicit and accept donations. Trading in influence has, thus, developed. In order to remedy this situation, which is detrimental to the rule of law and democracy, it is necessary to ensure political parties are financed in a wholly transparent manner.”
Furthermore, he added, political parties were challenged today with complex tasks, including researching and developing relevant and updated policies as well as communicating their message in the best possible manner in order to garner maximum support and win elections. Such tasks necessitated a sound structural organisation and infrastructure, which could not be put in place and function without adequate financial resources.
"The process of securing the necessary funds could lead to abuse. Parties could potentially end up at the mercy of particular donors who may seek to exert control through undue or unlawful influence. Legislation all over the world has been enacted precisely with the aim of averting such jeopardy and limit the dangers to democracy.
"Since political parties are not just voluntary organisations accountable solely to their members, but organs of a constitutional nature and relevance, the necessary legislation tackling the most urgent issue of disclosure and public auditing of parties’ finances should be enacted. Strengthening democracy means ensuring political parties are financed in an accountable and transparent manner.
"Thus, the Galdes Report, tackles such issues as whether there should be a ceiling on private donations, whether donations exceeding a certain amount should be prohibited and sums exceeding which amount should import a duty of disclosure."
The Galdes Report, he recalled, established the requirement of the compulsory publication of financial statements and accounts, as well as disclosure of particular donations, exceeding certain amounts. It proposed strict penalties in cases of default or non-observance, enforced by a regulatory and supervising authority to be established under the same proposed legislation.
The report had, for instance, also tackled the issue of candidates’ expenses during election campaigns, which amounted to just under €1,400, and, 15 years and four elections ago. was deemed too low and unrealistic. It was suggested that it should be increased, in addition to proposing a more realistic definition of the relevant period preceding an election.
"It is time to rethink the structure and internal organisation and set-up of political parties as constitutional vehicles. It is time to think about the relevance of political party stations today. It is a time of great challenges where we must continue to revise and upgrade the constitutional architecture for the future," Dr Debono said.