President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Eric Angel Carbonu, has argued that members of political parties should finance their own participation in internal elections instead of relying on candidates for transportation, accommodation and other benefits.
Reacting to concerns raised by some politicians over the implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on political party delegate systems in a Facebook post, Mr. Carbonu dismissed suggestions that political parties would struggle to organise congresses under the new arrangement.
“If you are a member of a political party, you should be in good standing according to the constitution of the political party, which includes being a paying member,” he said.
According to him, genuine party members who wish to influence leadership elections should be prepared to bear the cost of participating in the process.
“If you want to contribute to the selection of representatives, you should be able to finance yourself one way or the other,” he stated.
Mr. Carbonu criticised what he described as the politics of patronage, where delegates expect political aspirants to provide transport fares, accommodation and other incentives before participating in party elections.
“This issue of patronage and godfatherism, where people expect to be transported, given fares and accommodation, all adds to the system of influence we are trying to abolish,” he said.
He maintained that ending such practices would strengthen internal democracy and reduce vote-buying within political parties.
