Anti-Corruption International (Gambia) has urged The Gambia Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to commit to enactment of authoritative rules to govern political finance in The Gambia.
A statement made available to The Voice on Tuesday also states that Anti-Corruption International – Gambia (ACIG) through its advocacy group Graft Gladiators commended The Gambian Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on holding successful successive presidential and parliamentary election in The Gambia since 1965.
“At Graft Gladiators, we also welcome the efforts and efficient manner in which the IEC successfully conducted recently concluded Niamina elections. ACIG-Graft Gladiators further encourage the IEC to continue with its electoral system modernisation processes,” the statement said.
Graft Gladiator, urged IEC and all political parties in The Gambia to beware of dangerous consequence of how money is raised and spent by political parties on election campaigns.
“IEC should beware that funding of political parties and election campaigns in The Gambia are tendered by organise crime in daily life. Graft Gladiators demand that the IEC should cherish values of transparency and accountability in political finance in The Gambia,” the statement said.
The statement went on noting that The Gambia is emerging from sixty years of independence and twenty-two years of authoritarian rule, pointing that the dangerous consequences of unregulated cash-flow in Gambia politics continue to determine who govern from State House.
Graft Gladiator’s called on IEC to compile all political parties to streamline access to information about how they raise money and spends money on election campaigns.
Graft Gladiators further called on IEC to provide authoritative rule that should regulate the relationship between politicians and voters, which often based on tribalism.
They therefore expressed deep concern about the lack of oversight and enforcement of formal regulations when it comes to political finance in the country.
Graft Gladiators according ACIG is worried that there is growing concern among voters that the importance of money is the yard that determine who gets to govern The Gambia since pre-independence till today.
They therefore advised IEC, as an autonomous body to beware that vote-buying, abuse of state resources, unknown sources of income and lack of oversight and enforcement contribute to corruption causing factors that undermine credibility of Gambia elections.
The statement also noted that corruption causing factor poses a challenge to the integrity of the electoral system and political party politics in Gambia. GG advised thatIEC as an independent body established by laws of The Gambia to do all it could to provide sanctions, “if it had not yet done so, against political parties that refuse to submit financial reports a situation that is rife in Gambia politics.”
Graft Gladiators expressed concerns about how IEC can achieve transparency in Gambia electoral system when political finance is not authoritatively regulated.
Meanwhile ACIG recommended to IECto “Narrow the gap between government party and other political parties, put an end to incumbent political party use of resources belonging to the public to strengthen their grip on power and increase their chance of winning election, dismantle the complicated structure of inter-relationship between leaders and followers – tribalism, tackle the issue of vote-buying, uproot illicit funding from drug trade and activities of organised crime and regulate foreign funds entering Gambia politics,”
