By Daily Revelation Editor
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) is concerned that Zambia is allowing criminality to penetrate the political governance system by failing to remove the veil of political party funding.
TIZ acting executive director Raymond Mutale said failure to disclose the source of funds risked the country being captured by those from whom political parties got their funding from, in that the funders would ultimately start affecting the way policies were crafted.
Of course, there is no other way to describe failing to disclose funding for political parties anything but a breeding ground for criminality. We don’t believe that most of those who contribute funding, especially in a significant manner to political parties, just do so voluntarily without expecting anything in return for their funding.
If there was ever the possibility of opening our eyes to some of the behind the scenes transactions that have taken place and continue to happen between the rulers or potential rulers of the country at any particular time, and the promises they gave out in return, we would be shocked to actually discover how deep some of the criminal enterprises run.
Already, there are serious assertions with regards the arrangement between some in this UPND administration and the special interests in the mining sector, where a precious wasting mineral resource that should be benefiting Zambians bountifully has been wasted to lower taxes and sale of shares in the mines, owing to the greed and selfishness of a few officials and their friends.
It is not only in this administration, as a credible argument can be made of several instances where policies were made because of some sinister arrangement between those in power and their co-conspirators in the funders world. This extends to those in the opposition. Some of the people interacting and funding some of our opposition political parties will actually send shivers down our spines if we were to discover what some of these potential leaders were offering in return for that funding.
This is why we support the establishment of some mechanism that would compel all the political parties in the country to declare their source of funding, for transparency and better public scrutiny. Zambians need to know the people who are funding their political parties to avoid sacrificing their national interests to special interests.
Understandably, many, especially those funding opposition political parties with good intention, may not want to have their identities known for fear of retribution from the government, something that may ultimately compromise their assistance further to opposition parties.
Many would rather want to be seen to be associated with the ruling parties rather than the opposition in such a scenario because of the accruing benefits which come with associating with a ruling party. But this may be a double-edged sword as some of those supporting the ruling party may also want exercise restraint for fear of retribution if another party were to take office.
Weighing whether not having a law in place or having one in place, it is better to have one. This is so Zambians who are the main deciders of who should rule them want to see transparency in the manner their political leaders handle affairs. A law can always be crafted in such a way that it takes into the account the protection of people who genuinely want to contribute towards funding of their preferred political parties without the fear of retribution from anyone.
It is actually a difficult topic especially because the politicians who are the ones charged with the responsibility of enacting laws want to avoid this topic as much as possible. However, it is up to the real bosses to demand that their interests are prioritised from their servants in leadership.
Related
By Daily Revelation Editor
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) is concerned that Zambia is allowing criminality to penetrate the political governance system by failing to remove the veil of political party funding.
TIZ acting executive director Raymond Mutale said failure to disclose the source of funds risked the country being captured by those from whom political parties got their funding from, in that the funders would ultimately start affecting the way policies were crafted.
Of course, there is no other way to describe failing to disclose funding for political parties anything but a breeding ground for criminality. We don’t believe that most of those who contribute funding, especially in a significant manner to political parties, just do so voluntarily without expecting anything in return for their funding.
If there was ever the possibility of opening our eyes to some of the behind the scenes transactions that have taken place and continue to happen between the rulers or potential rulers of the country at any particular time, and the promises they gave out in return, we would be shocked to actually discover how deep some of the criminal enterprises run.
Already, there are serious assertions with regards the arrangement between some in this UPND administration and the special interests in the mining sector, where a precious wasting mineral resource that should be benefiting Zambians bountifully has been wasted to lower taxes and sale of shares in the mines, owing to the greed and selfishness of a few officials and their friends.
It is not only in this administration, as a credible argument can be made of several instances where policies were made because of some sinister arrangement between those in power and their co-conspirators in the funders world. This extends to those in the opposition. Some of the people interacting and funding some of our opposition political parties will actually send shivers down our spines if we were to discover what some of these potential leaders were offering in return for that funding.
This is why we support the establishment of some mechanism that would compel all the political parties in the country to declare their source of funding, for transparency and better public scrutiny. Zambians need to know the people who are funding their political parties to avoid sacrificing their national interests to special interests.
Understandably, many, especially those funding opposition political parties with good intention, may not want to have their identities known for fear of retribution from the government, something that may ultimately compromise their assistance further to opposition parties.
Many would rather want to be seen to be associated with the ruling parties rather than the opposition in such a scenario because of the accruing benefits which come with associating with a ruling party. But this may be a double-edged sword as some of those supporting the ruling party may also want exercise restraint for fear of retribution if another party were to take office.
Weighing whether not having a law in place or having one in place, it is better to have one. This is so Zambians who are the main deciders of who should rule them want to see transparency in the manner their political leaders handle affairs. A law can always be crafted in such a way that it takes into the account the protection of people who genuinely want to contribute towards funding of their preferred political parties without the fear of retribution from anyone.
It is actually a difficult topic especially because the politicians who are the ones charged with the responsibility of enacting laws want to avoid this topic as much as possible. However, it is up to the real bosses to demand that their interests are prioritised from their servants in leadership.
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