B.N.N. Calls for Campaign Finance Legislation

Osmany Salas

In the face of those damning text messages, the Belize Network of N.G.O.s is also calling on the Barrow Administration to take all necessary steps to immediately introduce campaign finance legislation. The B.N.N. says this will set out transparency and parameters on how funds are provided to political parties and candidates vying for public office. Senator for N.G.O.s Osmany Salas is urging the Government to introduce the legislation before the passage of the budget for the new fiscal year. Salas is also calling on the Prime Minister to order that the Financial Intelligence Unit immediately investigate all the allegations involving Saldivar and any other politicians who have been implicated in the receipt of Dermen funds.

Osmany Salas, Senator for N.G.O.s

“It is high time that once and for all we address the issue of campaign financing. It will not be straight forward easy matter but legislation is needed. Discussion is need to determine what all should be covered. It has been too long that money that has been secured many at times from questionable sources. External sources have financed elections and campaigns in this country. That in itself is not good for our nation because as most of us would understand who pays the piper calls the tune and who should be calling the tune should be the voters in this country. When we heard the prime minister in his previous press conference say something to the effect that this county does not have campaign finance legislation. The first thing that came to my mind was that you had twelve years to put something like that in place. It was not. I head in yesterday’s press conference that the leader of the opposition, he intends that to be one of the first thing he does in his first one hundred days if his party wins the upcoming general elections. Now politicians have promised a lot of things and they have not delivered many of those.”