Release - July 6 2023 | political-ethics

MEDIA RELEASE - July 6th, 2023

CAMPAIGN ISSUES AND ADHERENCE TO THE CODE OF ETHICAL POLITICAL CONDUCT IN THE 2023 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION

On Tuesday June 27, 2023, the Election and Boundaries Commission confirmed that a total of 373 persons had successfully completed the nomination process in preparation for Local Government Election-day on August 14, 2023. It is hoped that all these candidates will adhere to the Code of Ethical Political Conduct. The Council for Responsible Political Behaviour has since transmitted to the ten (10) Political parties which have registered Candidates a copy of the Code as a reminder and for the respective parties to ensure that all candidates have access to the Code.

With campaigning now in full swing, several concerns of possible violations to the Code have been brought to the attention of the Council. In the first instance, a formal complaint was lodged by the National Transformation Alliance with regard to comments made on the political platform by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. The allegation was that an offensive utterance was made using “inflammatory language with the potential to cause irreparable consequences.” The Council, having reviewed the speech made by the Prime Minister is of the view that the language used was clearly inappropriate and insensitive. To be sure, the statement from the Prime Minister runs counter to clauses in two sections of the Code, the ‘Commitment’ section as well as the section on ‘Prohibited Conduct.’ Under ‘Commitment’ it is stated:

“Parties, Coalitions and Candidates agree to

Promote and enforce respect, tolerance, harmony and peace amongst their supporters and the general public during the campaign, the elections and in the post-election period by being positive role models.”

And under the ‘Prohibited Conduct’ section, it is stated:

“Not use language or act in a way that may -
- a) Provoke violence; or
- b) Intimidate Candidates, members of Parties, representatives or supporters of Parties or Candidates, or voters; or
- c) Invite, encourage or foster hatred, resentment or any form of violence.”

As Prime Minister, one would have expected that Dr Rowley would be promoting unity in our diversity, and while it may not have been his intention, the utterances can easily be interpreted as underscoring our diversity and more critically could have led some supporters to embrace and foster hatred and divisiveness for members of other ethnic communities in our society. In our quest to guard against such possibilities, Dr Rowley as well as ALL Political Leaders must set an example for the citizens to follow and must be always mindful to avoid inflammatory statements.

Another issue which was brought to the fore in the first week of campaigning is the claim that inducements are being made to facilitate party jockeying. While the Council has not investigated and cannot rule on the validity of such claims, the Council would like to remind all Parties and the citizenry at large that the first clause in the section titled “Prohibited Conduct” of the Code states:

“Parties, Coalitions and Candidates agree to

Not offer any inducement or reward, for example money, groceries or other benefits, to another person to -
- a) Join or not to join a Party;
- b) Attend or not to attend a public meeting, march, demonstration, rally or other public political event;
- c) Vote or not to vote, or to vote or not to vote in any particular way; or
- d) Refuse a nomination as a Candidate or to withdraw as a Candidate.

A third issue considered by the Council refers to the issue of smear campaigns, which was brought to the Council’s attention. Again, due to the lateness of this concern reaching the Council, the Council could not have carefully reviewed the claim. Nevertheless, the Council again would like to remind all of the relevant clauses in the Code with respect to campaigns. The Code categorically states the following:

Not discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, class, religion or belief, or seek to mobilize support by reference to race, sex, gender, religion or class.
Not make false or defamatory allegations in print or speech, inclusive of images and effigies in connection with an election in respect of a Party, its Candidates, representatives or members.
Not seek to assassinate the character of or make defamatory comments about any individual, family, professional group or section of the community.
Not criticize aspects of the private lives of Candidates, their families, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or Candidates of other Parties.

As we continue in this campaign, It is the hope of the Council, as well as the vast majority of citizens that the remainder of this campaign will be peaceful, respectful and based on tolerance. The Council once again calls on all Political Parties, Leaders, Candidates and supporters to adhere to the tenets of the Code of Ethical Political Conduct which Political Parties endorsed. Mindful of the fact that there may be instances of possible breaches of the Code, the Council is urging the citizenry at large to bring to its attention any instances that it may detect during the campaign. Reports of possible violations can be emailed to the Council at info@politicalethicstt.org.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Council,

Dr. Bishnu Ragoonath

Chairman