Show me your money

by Din Duggan

They say: "Money is the root of all evil." Of course, they're wrong. They've massacred the quote. Numerous evils are unrelated to money: sexual abuse; ethnic cleansing; being forced to fly Caribbean Airlines. The actual quote is: "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." (NIV) For the love of money, men have committed dastardly acts and perpetrated grave injustices, including the one that threatens to render you - sitting contentedly while reading this column - inferior to your fellow Jamaican.

Tom Delay was a mighty figure in Washington, DC, and his home state of Texas. The country boy from Laredo came a far way from his rabble-rousing days of being expelled from university for excessive drinking and vandalism. Delay, who struggled with alcoholism and infidelity while in the Texas State Legislature, eventually became a born-again Christian before being elected to the US Congress and ascend to the powerful post of House Majority Leader.

But in October 2005, the 11-term congressman, who had amassed such power that he almost single-handedly toppled then US President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky debacle, was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of violating campaign-finance laws. The House majority leader - the highest-ranking congressman to be indicted while in office - was accused of using his political action committee to illegally funnel US$200,000 in donations to Republican candidates in Texas.

The allegations were numerous. Delay was accused of failing to disclose nearly US$600,000 in corporate donations. He was admonished for "creating the appearance that donors were being provided with special access ... regarding then pending energy legislation". A group of Russian oil executives illegally contributed US$1 million to an organisation connected to Delay in order to influence his support for an IMF bailout of Russia. He was the target of a US Justice Department investigation for allegedly accepting improper donations from clients of disgraced political lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who himself was convicted on corruption charges.

The illustrious political career of a man who had once berated Newt Gingrich, his fellow conservative Republican and then speaker of the House, for not being serious enough about protecting "conservative Christian values", came crashing down in shame. In January 2011, a Texas judge sentenced him to three years' imprisonment and 10 years' probation.

No Harm, No Foul

Had Tom Delay been a Jamaican political leader - perhaps a good country boy from Manchester and a general secretary of his party - he would have faced no criminal sanctions. Then again, he would have broken no campaign-finance laws since Jamaica has none to break.

The US - indeed, most countries - maintains campaign-finance rules aimed at protecting the integrity of the democratic process. In the US, an individual can only contribute a maximum of US$2,500 to a single candidate per election. Political campaigns must collect and report identifying information for anyone donating more than US$200. As the US Supreme Court put it, these laws serve the state's compelling interest in preventing corruption.

Apparently, no such interest exists in Jamaica. There is nothing in place, save for the judgement of our selfless, trustworthy politicians, to safeguard the political process from undue influence. If foreign corporations give money in return for preferential treatment, if gunrunners and narco-traffickers contribute dirty money to political aspirants, or if businessmen receive government contracts after donating sizeable amounts to political parties, it is, as things currently stand, none of our business.

In May 2010, then Prime Minister Bruce Golding uttered the memorable phrase: "Constitutional rights do not begin at Liguanea" - a reference to the US Embassy's location. He and his governing Jamaica Labour Party proceeded to take unprecedented measures to protect the constitutional rights of a single Jamaican.

So important were those rights that a country's international image, a political career, and 74 Jamaican lives were sacrificed in the process. One wonders if the same vigorous defence of the rights of the gentleman from West Kingston would have been extended to all Jamaicans. Probably not.

The financing of our democratic process is everyone's business, not a private matter. We in Jamaica know, as well as anyone, the evils and injustice that money can spawn. As Prime Minister Holness prepares to announce the general election date, let us urge him to also press ahead with campaign-finance legislation to ensure the integrity of our democratic process and that it works for all Jamaicans - not just the wealthy and well-connected.

Din Duggan is an attorney working as a consultant with a global legal search firm. Email him at columns@gleanerjm.com or dinduggan@gmail.com or view his past columns at facebook.com/dinduggan and twitter.com/YoungDuggan.