Money and politics in Belize: an inside look
With the gun having sounded to mark the unofficial opening of what promises to be a yearlong election campaign, the politicians and their legion of supporters will be working overtime. Over the last few weeks, News 5’s Janelle Chanona has been making the rounds to find out exactly what keeps them going.
Janele Chanona, Reporting
Whether it’s a by-election or general elections, when it’s time to cast a vote, political parties come out in force. Each party has its politicians, its platforms and its plans. But as these brave men and women bid for public office, they are forced to contend with a formidable opponent in it of itself: money.
Politics is an expensive business. In the pre-election period, candidates are expected to shell out cash for everything from ads to advocates, banners to billboards, T-shirts to tuition.
On average, banners cost approximately one hundred and fifty dollars a-piece, T-shirts come ten dollars a pop and canvassers pull in about a hundred and fifty dollars a week. And that’s not taking into account the price tags of television, radio and newspaper ads, transportation around the country and the daily handouts to the needy and hustlers alike. All that adds up to some serious dough, posing especially tough times for candidates with large constituencies or those living in economically challenged communities.
But the bills get paid. So where does all this money come from? According to party leaders, fundraisers like barbecues and banquets bring in some of the bucks, but surprisingly much of the funding comes from donations made by people just like you.
Ralph Fonseca, Nat’l campaign Manager, PUP
“Believe it or not, there are very humble Belizeans that make contributions on a weekly basis, whether it’s fifty cents, a dollar, two dollars. Their PUP, People’s United Party membership card is very important to them. They will, if you like, make their contributions on a you in it and stuff like that.”
Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Contributions are coming in very slowly, much more slowly than we would like, but they are coming in. And I think it’s a kind of chicken and egg situation. People want to see us increase the pace of our advertising campaign, of our public relations campaign and then hopefully they would be prepared to contribute more to a work in progress.”
Francis Gegg, Nat’l Co-ordinator, We the People
“A dollar a week, five dollars a week, if people are really serious about change, if they really want to change this country and change this society, then they must make an investment in it.”
With municipal elections seven months away and general elections right on their heels, Belize’s political parties are digging deep into their respective pockets.
For the We People Reform Movement, money isn’t a big issue.
Francis Gegg
“We don’t need a lot of money the way the other parties need a lot of money because we don’t believe that we need to go out and buy people’s votes. We believe that we need to teach and educate them. And so our mission is to open people’s minds, to emancipate people from mental slavery, from slavery of a handout for a vote.”
The United Democratic Party says their philosophy will be to focus on issues rather than finances.
Janelle Chanona
“How much is money linked to winning?”
Dean Barrow, Leader, United Democratic Party
“It is important, it would be silly to pretend otherwise. But I think in politics there is still room for the David and Goliath syndrome. In other words, a dedicated, talented, obviously honest candidate, who can connect with people can beat a well heeled, extremely well financed candidate any day.”
Meanwhile, the People’s United Party says in their formula for victory, the cash factor is not a constant.
Ralph Fonseca
“That’s a variable, it’s really dependent on the job that has to be done.”
Janelle Chanona
“How much did it take to win last time?”
Ralph Fonseca
“That’s not something that we have ever made public nor intend to.”
So what happens when a wealthy though suspect contributor seeks quid pro quo?
Ralph Fonseca
“You never have a situation where they want something in return. What they want is access to you. They are not going to tell you what they want when you get into government. What they want to know is that when they call for an appointment, they can get an appointment, so that you can hear their issue and of course they want to win with that particular issue. But I think our party has proven over and over that while we have contributors it doesn’t mean that you get your own way.
Dean Barrow
“If we can help you without doing anything wrong, be assured that we will. But if you expect that when we win, you can walk into our offices in Belmopan and say I want an exclusive license to do this or I want to be sure that I am guaranteed the contract to do that, it’s not going to happen. And I think because that is our firm position, we don’t get nearly as much money as we would like.”
Francis Gegg
“We are very clear, that this, we will not accept special interest money. And so the money we will accept has to come with no strings attached to it. The only string that can be attached to it is that we must seek a true and functional democracy, we must seek good governance, we must seek a separation of powers between the Legislative and the Executive.”
And while we trust our leaders, everybody needs a check and balance system. So how do the parties feel about campaign financing reform?
Dean Barrow
“The idea of campaign financing is like the poor, it will be with us always. And I say that because I don’t that think it will ever come close to be implemented. And I hope I’m not preaching a council of despair, but I don’t see how in a small society really, you’re going to be able to develop the monetary infrastructure that can supervise any system that you devise to limit campaign contributions.”
Ralph Fonseca
“We don’t have any campaign finance reform laws in place yet. We’re working on them, that’s one of the things we’re working on. At that time, both the opposition and ourselves will have to disclose as it relates to finances.”
Both the UDP and the PUP conservatively estimate it will take five million dollars per party to cover expenses if elections are held in August 2003. But if in the end all the candidates are going into the elections with a clear conscience and clean cash, what is the strategy for success?
Francis Gegg
“If they really want democracy, they must support political reform. And the political reform that we need to have is called an elected Senate with teeth of authority that will provide the check and balance against the excesses and abuse of Cabinet. So that’s our message, if this is what you want, then please support us, please join us, please embrace us and please become our disciples, our messengers for change.”
Dean Barrow
“It’s really going to be this two prong approach: hit the PUP where it hurts in terms of all the negatives that have attached to them, but also offer the people–I hate to use the vision word, because in a sense it sounds so overblown–but certainly convince people that we do have a plan, that we do have a programme that can get the country out of the mess that we say its in.”
Ralph Fonseca
“A campaign is a dynamic thing, a campaign is speaking to the Belizean people and it’s speaking to them as it relates to their concerns and what your plans are for them. Now that’s a dynamic thing and these things change as the campaign moves on.”
The one detail that no politician can control with certainty is where that “X” will go once the voter is alone in the booth. What is for sure is that whether red, blue or yellow, each vote cast will have cost well over a hundred dollars. Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
Municipal elections are set for March 2003 and it is all but certain that general elections will be held in August.
