GCPP is not a political party - IEA

"GCPP does not qualify as a party to be funded because it has no representative in Parliament and also all efforts by IEA to know where GCPP's offices are located in the country over the years had proved futile." The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has said.The IEA described as baseless the claims by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) that the institute is using foreign funds to promote four leading political parties in the country.

The IEA said GCPP was crying foul out of frustration since its allegations against the institute held no water. The GCPP, in a statement issued last week and signed by the General Secretary, John Thompson, described the IEA as a think-tank that was running a parallel Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) with the four leading parties to decide for the rest of the political parties, adding that the act was undermining democracy.

"lEA is a neo-colonialist organization whose activities should be critically examined by the government," the statement maintained. The party claimed that the monies being used in assisting the parties were coming from a Dutch organization, the Netherlands Institute for Multi Party Democracy (NIMD). According to Mr. Thompson, this action of the IEA was making the political playing field in the country uneven, and also described the IEA as a body which used illegal means to fund four parties to the detriment of others.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE in reaction to the accusations, however, a source close to the IEA stressed that before a political party could qualify for funding by any entity, it had to have at least one or two representatives in the nation's House of Parliament. It said despite IEA's advice to the leaders of GCPP to fight for Parliamentary seats to enable it to get equal support from various funding bodies as other parties were getting, GCPP remained adamant.

The source stated that IEA did not see why parties' capacities should not be built to help enhance the nation's democracy, stressing that the laws of the land prohibited direct funding of political parties from foreign bodies but did not prevent indirect funding. It emphasized that the IEA, through various measures, had ensured over the years that political parties including the GCPP were educated in all their political endeavours to ensure political and democratic stability in the country.Source: Daily Guide