We want accountability in political parties

THE Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) has often been accused of being biased and acting as a political party. I have defended their mission on so many occasions and sometimes do admit that their involvement with Professor Nqosa Mahao leaves a lot to be desired. I believe civil society organisations must distance themselves from suspicions that they are political parties in disguise or are there to advance the interests of certain political leaders. Be that as it may this week I must congratulate the TRC for taking political parties to court in order for them to account for funds disbursed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). I have listened to some of my friends belittling the TRC and accusing it of meddling in their party affairs. Parties are very powerful institutions. They are long-term institutional homes for policies and ideas. They act as a conduit through which interests and issues of the people get represented in Parliament. Since elections are predominantly contested on party lines in our parliamentary system, the agenda of the potential government is set by them. Can political parties here in Lesotho do as they please? If so, does this mean the 40 registered political parties can enjoy public funds without accounting for it? My argument is simple. Political parties are substantially financed by the government. If these parties get substantial finance from the government, there is no reason why any citizen or organisation cannot ask for information to find out whether their money which was given to the entity is being used for the requisite purpose or not. How can we expect a party that fails to account for between M100 000 to M3 million to account for billions when it becomes government? We must appreciate the fact that citizens delegate authority to political representatives, usually via political parties, who then govern bureaucracies that deliver services. A political party is a permanently organised association which, through common activities, aims at comprehensively influencing the national decision-making process, in particular by participating in elections. Accountability means that the people and civil society hold significant power and can exact redress when duties and commitments are not met. Political leaders are responsible to the people they govern and must put the people’s interests above their own. Accountability is the glue that constitutes the social contract between citizens and the state, which is desirable in itself because having a voice contributes to wellbeing, as well as being a practical means to drive progressive change. Let me also state that political parties are the lifeblood of our entire constitutional system. Political parties act as a conduit through which interests and issues of the people get represented in Parliament. Since elections are predominantly contested on party lines in our parliamentary democratic polity, the agenda of the potential government is set by them. Our people should understand that political parties are the clutch in the engine of politics, linking citizens to government. They reconcile and represent the interests and viewpoints of numerous individuals and groups in society; they recruit and train future leaders; and above all, they hold government accountable and organise opposition. The parties that contest power in today’s democracies come in a bewildering range of shapes and sizes. Some are ‘4+1’ parties, whose leaders and followers could fit into a single car (4+1); others are mass-based organisations with thousands of organisers. Some represent the interests of just a few wealthy businessmen; others speak for millions of impoverished and marginalised people. After seeing Yan ‘John’ Xie and his Chinese friends take over our economy we would be selling ourselves short if we allowed political parties to do as they please with public funds. Political parties must account for the money they receive from public funds. To ensure transparency and accountability the Electoral Act requires that all political parties and candidates must disclose information about how they raise and spend the money they receive from the state. It is important to keep records of election campaigns expenditure as well as books and accounts of political parties. The primary rationale for disclosure is to enable the IEC as an oversight institution to check the books and accounts of parties, candidates and donors to verify their compliance with the law. Let me stress that for a very long time we have created a system that fails to ensure that sources of income and accounts are properly disclosed and it has become much harder for the IEC to monitor the application of the law and impose the necessary sanctions. This bad practice has become normal practice and political parties think it is abnormal for the TRC to demand transparency and accountability in political finance. While violators cannot be expected to admit to infringements in their reports, requiring them to provide financial accounts provides a paper trail that can assist in further investigations. Reporting requirements concerning activities and organisations covered (party organisations, candidates, fundraising organisations, donors) and the detail of information (assets and liabilities, income and expenses, organisation costs, electioneering activities and political advertising). As citizens we must demand from our political parties to have internal democracy, financially transparent and free of big money from guys like John. But it proves remarkably hard to maintain that coherence and dynamism. Most of them must make difficult choices and undertake compromises that contribute to the eventual decline in their support. As elections have become hugely expensive affairs, transparency of campaign finances becomes critically paramount. Parties come to power through elections and form the government. So keeping financing and donors secret can raise suspicions of quid pro quo in Sesotho “fa o fa fi”. There is potential for conflict of interest. Large donations make parties vulnerable and captives to special interests. We have seen it happen in this country through the experiences of Yan ‘John’ Xie and his relationship with the All Basotho Convention (ABC). I still do not know why it would be so difficult to account for a few millions of maloti. How can we trust political parties to account for billions when they are in government? The IEC has been sleeping on the job and it must be forced to do its job. Thank you TRC for demanding accountability and transparency from the IEC and political parties. Ramahooana Matlosa