Parties provide insights
into campaign financing
~ As public speculate that millions being spent ~
PHILIPSBURG--With billboards of all sizes, flags, posters and other election paraphernalia as well as rental cars and electronic advertising such a pronounced feature of the current Island Council election campaign, there is much speculation in the community about the election budgets of the six contesting parties.
Some speculate that the two long-established rival parties St. Maarten Democratic Party (DP) and National Alliance (NA) and their respective candidates must each be spending well in excess of US $2 million on their campaigns at a time when there are no clearly defined controls and spending limits.
As the campaign intensifies, with just over two weeks to go, the issue of sources of campaign funds has become a “hot potato,” with the names of some prominent individuals being dragged into the discussions and being featured from the platforms at public rallies.
In an attempt to gain some insight into how much money is involved in campaign financing, The Daily Herald contacted all political parties contesting the elections and enquired about, among other things, their campaign budgets (their “war chests”) and the funding of these budgets.
With the exception of the NA, all parties gave some insight into their campaign financing.
DP campaign manager Michael Ferrier explained that the DP did not have a centralised budget for the campaign. “Each candidate has his or her own funds and budget,” he said.
Ferrier also explained that DP St. Maarten Action Foundation took care of the overall coordination of the DP campaign and therefore took care of general expenditures such as party posters, public meetings, sound system, lights, flags, advertising and radio programmes. Ferrier said this budget had varied from US $50,000 up to $200,000 in the past.
He said he couldn’t give an exact figure for this year’s budget, but that it would be reasonable to assume that it would end up somewhere between $80,000 and $100,000.
He also explained that in addition to the general party expenditures, all DP candidates were allowed to seek financing for their private campaigns.
Ferrier said the party had no control over these personal campaigns and the candidates weren’t compelled to give financial details about their campaigns to the party. “The DP gives guidelines of ethical standards about campaign financing to the individual candidates and expects them to uphold these standards,” Ferrier said.
People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) said it was not as big as DP or NA, financially. PPA campaign manager Cleveland Beresford said PPA had started off this campaign with a very small budget of about $50,000.
“We are trying to keep up with the budget set and it seems like we will make it. At the end of the day, we don’t want anybody telling us we still owe them money,” Beresford said.
He was satisfied with the voluntary contributions coming in. “They are small contributions, but very significant to us. If this trend keeps up, maybe our budget will even turn out to be a little bit more than $50,000,” he said.
Beresford said most of the funds for the campaign had been raised by party members. In addition, several volunteers have approached the party to contribute.
He pointed out that, unlike the other parties, PPA focused on a collective approach. “Everything is done collectively. All our ads in the newspapers are made with the contribution of party members.”
Although the party works collectively, Beresford said it was possible for a candidate, if he or she had the funding for it, to make certain personal campaign items. He mentioned number two on the PPA slate Johan “Janchi” Leonard as an example of someone who had had some personal posters and T-shirts made.
None of the three smaller parties contesting the election is working with a “real” budget.
National Democratic Party (NDP) leader and only candidate on the “Freedom Slate” Theophilus Priest said he had invested about US $2,000 in the campaign thus far.
The money has been used primarily to pay for submitting his candidacy for election. “The donations I have received were used directly to place ads in the newspaper. The NDP does not have the money to organise public meetings or the putting up of posters and flags or the printing of T-shirts,” Priest said.
Nevertheless, Priest is convinced that the party’s message is getting to the people despite the fact that NDP cannot compete financially with the other parties. “People know that we are sincere. I believe that this year St. Maarten will experience an upset.”
It’s the sixth consecutive election in which NDP has participated, but never before has the party managed to obtain a seat in the Island Council or Parliament.
The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) is also financing its campaign with “personal” funds. Candidate number three on the DLP list Olivier Arrindell explained that DLP did not have a centralised budget, but the four members on the slate pooled whatever funds they had and with that the party tried to do as much as possible. Olivier declined to indicate his personal financial contribution to the DLP campaign.
DLP held its first public meeting at the Philipsburg Cultural and Community Centre last week and it is planning to organise two more public meetings: one on April 12 and the other on April 18.
Olivier is satisfied with the progress of the DLP campaign. “We are getting good vibes. The people are feeling us,” he said.
St. Maarten People’s Believers Independence Movement (SPBIM) also doesn’t have a “budget” and has not organised any public campaign to date. Party leader Harold Jack said he had spent about $1,000 so far.
“It’s all my own money,” Jack explained, adding that he would not participate in all the “gimmicks” such as posters, flyers, leaflets and T-shirts.
“The only campaigning I’m doing is with my billboard on the hill,” he said.
Jack said he believed the current political system would collapse and in actuality all the other political parties’ campaigning was helping his party, because the more the other parties promise they will do for the people, the more the people will realise that they will have to vote for SPBIM.
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