ORG Welcomes CARICOM Observers’ Calls for Campaign Finance Legislation

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – The general election may have been more than three months ago, but observers around the region are calling for a more detailed and transparent electoral process, including campaign finance legislation and other sweeping reforms.

The details were released in an August 6 report by the CARICOM Election Observation Mission, which monitored The Bahamas’ general election in May.

While the report praised Election Day protocols in New Providence and Grand Bahama, it did raise some concerns.

Observers are calling for an independent electoral management body, along with stronger logistical preparedness and operations within the Parliamentary Registration Department.

When it comes to campaign finance legislation, Organization for Responsible Governance Executive Director Matt Aubry tells me while it’s something taxpayers have long asked for, it isn’t as simple as it seems.

Matt Aubry – Executive Director, Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG)

“It isn’t one thing, right? It isn’t a guarantee that the government is going to be paying for the activities of a political party if they adhere to certain criteria. It really starts with having some clarity on the monies that are going to support those campaigns, a limit on how much money can be spent on a particular campaign, and a level of disclosure on where that money is going and how those monies are being utilized.”

Observers are also calling for an independent electoral management body, along with stronger logistical preparedness and operations within the Parliamentary Registration Department.

Matt Aubry – Executive Director, Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG)

“Building the independence of that structure also gives it more capacity and more opportunity to work on these issues, not just leading up to an election. We saw the introduction of biometric cards being done relatively late in the process, and that became a challenge. Folks didn’t quite understand what was supposed to happen. Being able to do things like that consistently ahead of time, with the proper resources, ensures that when it comes to an election, all of that is going to be seamless.”

The observers also noted instances of “xenophobic rhetoric regarding the Haitian community,” which they said could have undermined voter confidence among Bahamians of Haitian descent.

Matt Aubry – Executive Director, Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG)

“There were questions about how we make sure that the everyday person has economic opportunities. How do we ensure that there’s an opportunity for us to grow and thrive? How do we ensure that it’s not just a few folks with money who are benefiting, but that it’s really the breadth of The Bahamas, from top to bottom? Those things can become convoluted and tied in with issues like xenophobia, but really it’s fundamentally about how the decisions we make on that one day set us up for the next five years.”