What candidates spend on elections

Last Thursday, January 24, Georg Sapiano, a Nationalist candidate on the Swieqi - Madliena - San Gwann - Gharghur - Gzira - Ta' Xbiex district wrote to The Times a letter titled "Candidate's spending limit." The letter starts by showing that a claim made by Harry Vassallo, leader of Alternattiva Demokratika is incorrect. But it progresses and concludes by presenting the moral dilemma he is in.

As a new candidate for the general elections he feels the need and the duty to communicate with the electorate. On the other hand, he, and all those who are contesting the elections, are faced with a law which makes effective communication impossible.

I had addressed the topic in my blog of December 18, 2007.

The entire cost of a candidate's effort to win a seat in parliament is regulated by the Electoral (Polling) Ordinance. This imposes a spending limit of 1,398 euros on anything done in the conduct or management of a candidate's electoral bid. The sum is manifestly inadequate.

The law is very specific. It declares that the spending limit applies to all payments made by: the candidate or by his election agent, or by any persons on behalf of the candidate, or in his interest, for expenses incurred on account of, or in respect of, the conduct and management of the election".

A number of politicians are under the impression that this limit only starts when the elections are called and applies for the 30 days of a campaign. Nowhere in the law is there that sort of stipulation, though I hasten to add that I don’t know whether there were any specific cases in court which gave some form of interpretation or another.

Well, 31 days after the election results are published every candidate is required to submit a sworn statement of expenses, before a magistrate, showing that he or she did not spend more than the prescribed amount. If that statement is not made, or made falsely, the sanction is to lose your seat in Parliament! If you have not been elected the sanction is a fine of up to €465.87. In both cases, you are struck off the voters list for four years.

To my knowledge, no-one from the Electoral Commission ever checks what anyone did or spent in a campaign. The police are not asked to investigate and the Attorney-General is never asked to prosecute. Basically, it seems that the sworn statement is regularly accepted as irrefutable evidence.

Though it is amply clear that almost all candidates would have surely spent more than the amount stipulated by law the same do not find any problem to take this oath. I cannot fathom how this is morally possible. Does this mean that so many take false oaths? Who am I to judge? I would prefer to believe that they find comfort in some legalistic interpretation that justifies their conscience. But I do hope that all treat this as a matter of conscience.

The role of conscience in public life

Cynics may say that I take this topic on only to help the cause of a friend of mine. I do not hide the fact that Georg is a close friend if mine. It is public knowledge. We have known each others for many years. We produced and presented together TV and radio programmes. I officiated at his marriage ceremony and baptised his children.

The law about spending by political candidates will not be changed before the election. I am not therefore writing hoping for change now. I am raising this subject to highlight another more important subject. The role of one’s religious beliefs and conscience when one seeks public office.

In the last three or four years I spent hours discussing with Georg the moral implications and possible dilemmas that Christians may encounter when they set their lives on a political trajectory. Let me just mention a few others besides the one outlined above: the balance between power and service; the ego trip versus the altruistic one; legislation and public policy in a pluralistic environment; populist solutions which reap immediate electoral support versus long term goals which are unpopular but reap long term benefits; the common good versus sectarian benefits. The areas of family polity, bioethics, just economic systems, the rights of future generations and issues relating to various aspects of diversity area among the important areas that have to be faced by those whom we elect in the coming elections. It is not easy to be a good Christian and a good politician as it is not easy to be a good Christian.

The US bishops’ document

Many I propose to prospective and established electoral candidates that they read a document published on November 14, 2007 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops? It is titled “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.”

Reading the documents will not get them any votes as reading, for example, a book on how to persuade voters, will. But standing for elections is not just about winning votes at all costs. It also means standing for principles and values.

I do not have the web address readily available but a search in Google will take only a couple of minutes. Those who find that difficult can contact me on joseph.borg@um.edu.mt and I will send them an electronic copy.