Dear Editor,
I observed with much humour, yet grave concern, how parts of the media have already jumped to talk of campaign finance reform in the wake of another scandal that has set off tectonic shifts within the structure of a frail and failing People’s National Party (PNP).
While I am not too much against being bored by another round of pure talk from Professor Trevor Munroe, his contemporaries, and our lazy parliamentarians about campaign finance reform, response to this latest PNP scandal demands a very different approach.
Look at what has triggered the renewed talk: PNP Treasurer Norman Horne accusing party members of not handing over monies intended for the party’s coffers during the lead-up to the 2016 General Election. He’s now urging them to hand over the monies — no takers, thus far.
A serious allegation that demands answers to the following questions: How did these PNP bigwigs manage to grab hold and keep funds intended for the party? Were these millions of dollars in cash? Or were these payments in cheques made out to the PNP? If so, how then could these cheques not have reached the PNP’s central account? What kind of private sector company would pay the PNP millions in cash? How were some of these cash donations from overseas taken into the country? Were these sums that may have exceeded the cash limit of US$10,000 properly declared? What is the party’s position on receiving cash donations as campaign funds? Were there letters that would have accompanied these donations to substantiate that the monies were intended solely for the PNP’s coffers and not candidates’ use?
I could go on. But I leave it there for us to ponder on these things, while the PNP provides answers and the police take a closer look at what has happened here. That’s the stage we’re at right now. Talk on campaign finance reform can wait. Because even if these laws were in place, the aforementioned questions that speak to accountability, integrity, and even legality would still need to be answered first.
Barry Broadwell
broadwell.barry@yahoo.com
I observed with much humour, yet grave concern, how parts of the media have already jumped to talk of campaign finance reform in the wake of another scandal that has set off tectonic shifts within the structure of a frail and failing People’s National Party (PNP).
While I am not too much against being bored by another round of pure talk from Professor Trevor Munroe, his contemporaries, and our lazy parliamentarians about campaign finance reform, response to this latest PNP scandal demands a very different approach.
Look at what has triggered the renewed talk: PNP Treasurer Norman Horne accusing party members of not handing over monies intended for the party’s coffers during the lead-up to the 2016 General Election. He’s now urging them to hand over the monies — no takers, thus far.
A serious allegation that demands answers to the following questions: How did these PNP bigwigs manage to grab hold and keep funds intended for the party? Were these millions of dollars in cash? Or were these payments in cheques made out to the PNP? If so, how then could these cheques not have reached the PNP’s central account? What kind of private sector company would pay the PNP millions in cash? How were some of these cash donations from overseas taken into the country? Were these sums that may have exceeded the cash limit of US$10,000 properly declared? What is the party’s position on receiving cash donations as campaign funds? Were there letters that would have accompanied these donations to substantiate that the monies were intended solely for the PNP’s coffers and not candidates’ use?
I could go on. But I leave it there for us to ponder on these things, while the PNP provides answers and the police take a closer look at what has happened here. That’s the stage we’re at right now. Talk on campaign finance reform can wait. Because even if these laws were in place, the aforementioned questions that speak to accountability, integrity, and even legality would still need to be answered first.
Barry Broadwell
broadwell.barry@yahoo.com