Parties should account for their funding: MAG

THE Monitor Action Group has called on Government to compel political parties who get State funding to submit annual reports.

Kosie Pretorius, Chairman of MAG, said there was also an urgent need to appoint a committee to revise the formula for political funding by the State. Under the current formula the largest party (Swapo) gets around N$5 million while MAG, as the smallest, gets around N$250 000.This year the political parties will share N$17,8 million.The amount will increase to N$19,4 million next year.In the 2009/2010 financial year the funding will reach N$21,2 million.The amount for each political party is determined by the number of votes each party in the National Assembly receives during a parliamentary election.”As far as it is known, it was only Monitor Action group that has once submitted such an audited report,” Pretorius said.Namibia is one of 14 African countries that give state funding to political parties.Promises were made in the past that political parties will be compelled to submit audited reports.Party financing was introduced almost 15 years ago but rules and regulations have yet to be finalised.Currently, parties report to the National Assembly under “general categories”.The money has led to fights in some parties, with leaders accusing one another of using the funds for private purposes.As a rule, nearly all Government money is subject to an audit by the Auditor General but, at the moment, that office has no mandate to audit the parties’ books.Currently only the Electoral Act deals with party funding but it regulates only the foreign financing of parties.The law requires that any party getting money from a foreign source must publicly disclose the financing.Under the current formula the largest party (Swapo) gets around N$5 million while MAG, as the smallest, gets around N$250 000.This year the political parties will share N$17,8 million.The amount will increase to N$19,4 million next year.In the 2009/2010 financial year the funding will reach N$21,2 million.The amount for each political party is determined by the number of votes each party in the National Assembly receives during a parliamentary election.”As far as it is known, it was only Monitor Action group that has once submitted such an audited report,” Pretorius said.Namibia is one of 14 African countries that give state funding to political parties.Promises were made in the past that political parties will be compelled to submit audited reports.Party financing was introduced almost 15 years ago but rules and regulations have yet to be finalised.Currently, parties report to the National Assembly under “general categories”.The money has led to fights in some parties, with leaders accusing one another of using the funds for private purposes.As a rule, nearly all Government money is subject to an audit by the Auditor General but, at the moment, that office has no mandate to audit the parties’ books.Currently only the Electoral Act deals with party funding but it regulates only the foreign financing of parties.The law requires that any party getting money from a foreign source must publicly disclose the financing.