Fiji should consider having a practice whereby the campaign manifestos of political parties are audited to show voters whether what has been promised in it is viable.

The MOG’s final report on the 2018 General Election was released yesterday in which they made this recommendation.

“The MOG heard suggestions that parties should be required to submit their campaign manifestos to audit so voters can better understand the costs of any campaign promises against their benefits.

The MOG notes it is practice in some countries for parties to voluntarily submit campaign platforms for audit, often by a large accounting firm or reputable non- partisan fiscal institution.

In a few countries, parties are required to submit campaign platforms to government agencies, such as a Ministry of the Treasury or a Parliamentary Budget Office.”

The 2018 General Election had seen a number of extravagant promises made in manifestos of political parties especially the National Federation Party where no information was provided how the new initiatives would be funded.

A policy such as this would assist voters to see through some of the over-the-top promises.

“Assuming the manifestos are submitted sufficiently early in the campaign, these audits can help predict the impact of proposed spending on Government budgets, helping to inform voters.

“At the same time, these audits are less helpful predicting the impact of a policy on the wider economy given that economists different significantly on these questions.”

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj