wo of the world?s largest democracies have written or strengthened regulations on political contributions in the past five years, but Bermuda shows no signs of following suit.

Neither of the country?s political parties seem warm to the idea of creating any kind of legislation in this regard, particularly when it comes to making the names of political donors open to the public.

Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert said: ?Funds would dry up very fast,? if campaign contributors were identified.

?When you talk about political donors, Bermuda is so small. People are very confidential.?

Progressive Labour Party chairman David Burt agreed with Mr. Furbert, that in this case, size does matter.

?Bermuda?s current political funding and electioneering (systems) are different because of the unique nature of Bermuda?s political, social and economic environment.?

He does not though pass judgment on whether one country?s system is better or worse than the other.

Electoral Commissions in both the United Kingdom and the United States make donor lists available to voters, journalists, or whomever else wants a peek.

In most cases the information is available online.

The same commissions which publish donor lists also prevent non-citizens and foreign corporations from making political contributions of any kind.

In Bermuda, there?s no law to prevent either type of contributor.

However, Mr. Furbert, the United Bermuda Party leader, believes political donations from foreigners ?should be looked at more closely?.

His comments are perhaps a direct slight at the Premier?s Gala Weekend ? a political fundraising event where supporters from here and abroad pay up to $25,000 for the chance to gather socially with the party?s leader, his wife and other elected officials.

?Under our current system, the Progressive Labour Party has consistently been out-raised and out-spent by the UBP,? chairman Mr. Burt told The Royal Gazette.

?Therefore, it is interesting that faced with our new leader?s commitment to narrowing that large funding gap, the Opposition are now crying foul.?

During the upcoming Gala weekend beginning January 12, PLP supporters should be easy to spot at high-end events wearing black ties, swinging golf clubs and lounging at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

But it?s the names and identities which are cloaked in secrecy that should make voters cautious according to Boston Herald political reporter Dave Wedge.

He says knowing who the donors are is critical ?because it allows us to determine if politicians are being bought off by corporations or funded by criminals. It lets us know what special interests may be funding their candidacy?.

In the US, individual candidate donations at the federal level are limited to $2,100 per election cycle.

And a candidate can spend as much as he or she wants on the campaign as long as they agree to use only private funds.

In the UK, there?s no limit on voter contributions to a particular candidate or party.

But there is a limit on how much a candidate can spend ? ?30,000 per contested seat.

In Bermuda, of course, all matters of campaign donations and expenditure are limitless. And there is no public money given to candidates for campaigning.

The nation?s highest elected official, Premier Ewart Brown, hasn?t made any public moves towards campaign reform since he took over, but says he was ?quite willing to look into it when the UBP was in power?.

Back then though the issue was never formally discussed or debated. In democracies where corporate donations are permitted, company brass are suspected to make the largest contributions because they have the deepest pockets and the highest stakes.

Whether Bermudian companies are backing one political party or the other, or hedging their bets by supporting both, is simply unknown.

Both Mr. Burt and Mr. Furbert said they couldn?t speak for their respective parties as a whole because they hadn?t conferred with them on the specific issue of political fundraising regulations.

That admission is probably evidence enough that Bermuda is a long road away from campaign transparency ? in a country with the largest per capita income in the world.