Mr. Sears says he has “consistently” called on and encouraged his colleagues to take a stand and make it a priority in its “commitment to the Bahamian people” to legislate campaign finance reform.
“I have called on the Opposition and the government, I will continue to do so because I do think it’s a form of corruption and it undermines public trust and confidence and it also can compromise the governance process of our country,” Mr. Sears said yesterday.
The need for campaign finance reform was highlighted by some political observers in 2004 after Bahamas permanent resident Mohammad Harajchi claimed that he had contributed millions of dollars to the PLP’s 2002 campaign, and claimed he had even done personal favours for some government officials while they were in opposition on the campaign trail.
The issue of money in politics was also underscored during the 2002 campaign as the main political parties staged rallies that became top class productions and purchased expensive and high quality paraphernalia to help energize their campaigns.
Leaders of both parties, knowing that disclosure would ruin them, have publicly stated that they see no need for campaign finance reform.
