Commission seeks fairness on smaller parties

 THE Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission (IPPCC) will attempt to have the National Executive Council (NEC) revoke its decision on the level of funding to political parties, registrar Dr Alphonse Gelu says.  

He said the NEC had decided that K20,000 would be given to political parties with five or more MPs while K10,000 would be given to parties with fewer than five MPs. 

Gelu said they wanted NEC to reconsider and revoke the decision as it would be unfair to the smaller political parties in the work of developing and strengthening them. 

“We want to develop and maintain political parties especially the smaller parties need to grow and function constructively, he said.

“It would be unfair for them to be given fewer funds because money is one of the biggest challenges of the new and small politcal parties that the registry office is trying to support, build and maintain.”

“The bigger parties will become stronger and richer, it would not be a good way when we should be encouraging strong political parties.”

IPPCC senior legal officer Francis Lola said additional provisions were also included in the revised law which meant payments to a registered political party were based on the number of MPs a political party endorsed at the most recent election, both general and by-elections.           

“The provision says even if a MP leaves the party, it continues to receive funding or if an independent joins a registered poltical party after election, it will not attract additional funding to that party,” he said.

Lola said this was an incentive aimed at strengthening the political party system in PNG.