Examining the Intersection of Financial Donations and Political Culture in Barbados: Perspectives from Pollster Peter Wickham

He continued: “Ms Bradshaw indicated that she distributed 800

hampers and one would recall that in recent times, former finance minister [Chris] Sinckler boasted [of] having set a record by distributing 1 000 hampers along with the odd flat screen television and iPads. These types of activities are conservatively estimated to cost between $200 000 to $300 000 and, as such, are well beyond the normal capacity of an MP who receives $2 500 per month to assist with community work.

“Over time, we appear to have accepted that it is normal for MPs

to rely on benefactors to fund Christmas parties and hamper drives and I am concerned that the reaction to this more recent episode reflects the suggestion that Bradshaw’s initiative is peculiar or unpopular in some way. Certainly, if we attempt to create a system to police corporate giving out of assistance then we also need to appreciate that the hampers and parties will either disappear or be scaled down considerably.”

Wickham further pointed to a long history of cheques that have

caused challenges for both Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) administrations.

“…. It would appear that well-intended contributions to the political work of parties subsequently became sensational political fodder in much the same way that this most recent cheque has,” he noted.

Wickham knocked DLP President Dr Ronnie Yearwood for calling for

Bradshaw to resign or be fired, referring to previous concerns raised by Yearwood about the DLP’s heavy reliance on corporate sponsorship to fund its activities.

The political scientist also issued a challenge to Yearwood: “I would be keen to see Yearwood take the lead in this regard and disclose publicly the persons or companies funding his campaign, the DLP’s Christmas parties and other recent events, and to go further and indicate if payments

were made to him directly or the DLP, or perhaps if he, himself, has a charity.”

Amid calls for the government to proclaim the Integrity in Public Life Act which Parliament passed last year, Wickham declared his support for the move but suggested even if it was the law, the matter in question would not be an issue.

“I agree it should be proclaimed but we also need to understand that it will be a costly mechanism to fund and even if [the Integrity Commission] was up and running, it would have made no difference to this type of scenario,” Wickham told Barbados TODAY. “The actions and outcomes would have been no different if there was a commission in place as Bradshaw would have had ample time to make such a declaration.”

Citing Trinidad and Tobago’s Integrity Commission, he noted that

it has only so far acted on one occasion when it was discovered that former, now late, prime minister Basdeo Panday had failed to declare a UK bank account for 1997, 1998, and 1999, which was a gift from CL Duprey, the head of the now-defunct insurance company CLICO.

“In that instance, it is noteworthy that several years passed and he did not file,” Wickham noted. “In this instance, the cheque was issued at Christmas time and the matter came to light a week later. This is the single case we have of an IPL [Integrity in Public Life] bill or legislation being used to go after a PM.”

Wickham also suggested that Bradshaw was unlikely to face political fallout from the incident.

He said: “At the level of the constituency, no… not at all, but it is unfortunate this issue emerges at a time when persons are reflecting on the possibility of her becoming the next PM and at that level, it might create some perpetual problems, especially if other contenders are not being forced to answer such questions themselves.” (SD)