Maravi

Political parties shouldn't be funded - Mususu

Political parties shouldn't be funded - Mususu
By George Chellah
Thursday March 15, 2007 [02:01]

ZAMBIA'S democracy is being undermined by basing leadership on an individual's wealth as opposed to their qualities, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia executive director Bishop Paul Mususu has said. And Bishop Mususu said political parties, whether in government or opposition, should not be funded. Commenting on the tendency by political leaders to use their personal finances to fund their parties, Bishop Mususu said the trend was not good for both national and intra-party democracy.

"It goes without saying that if someone buys their way into the political arena, they don't have an obligation to anyone or anything except themselves. If they bought their way, they will be selfish even when in government," Bishop Mususu said. "So those with money will certainly ascend to leadership. They can have the money quite all right but they are not leaders. So the management of national resources will be at risk because we have wrong people in the job."

He said Zambia has seen the evidence of such trends in practical terms. "We do have people who can lead this country to greater heights of development but because they don't have money they haven't ascended to those positions," Bishop Mususu said. "We are undermining our democracy by basing our leadership on wealth of a person as opposed to the qualities of leadership."

Bishop Mususu said there was need to have laws to address these issues. "I think there should be legislation in place on how much resources someone can have access to during elections so that people don't buy their way into leadership but should be elected genuinely," Bishop Mususu said. "Even at intra-party level, right from the screening process, they should not use too much resources because the product of the party is what is exposed at national level. If somebody buys their way at intra-party level there are chances that they will also buy their way at national level."

He said due to such use of resources, it has become difficult for any better person to challenge the national leadership. "Even when you look at the political arrangement in this country, when anyone gets into office, it's difficult for them to lose an election because of the comparative advantage they have over others," Bishop Mususu said. "They use state resources such as motor vehicles, communication, the media and others to woo support."

Bishop Mususu maintained that political parties whether in government or opposition should not be funded. "Funding political parties will not be ideal. Even those with government machinery at their disposal we should not fund them. We shouldn't also allow those in power to use government resources," Bishop Mususu said. "That's why political parties want to be funded because they are comparing with a wrong thing, the use of state resources by those in power. So both of them should be denied that."

posted by MrK @ 6:00 AM