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General News on Friday, March 29, 2019
Source: clbadfmonline.com
2019-03-29
Papa Kwesi Nduom and his PPP team
The Progressive People's Party (PPP) has called on the Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) to use the data compiled by the National Identification Authority (NNA) instead of the overcrowded voter register.
The party said it was firmly convinced that the recent rumor concerning the constitution of a new electoral register was "a lot of noise for nothing".
The EC announced that it would establish a new electoral list for the 2020 polls. The decision was taken following a meeting of the Inter-party Consultative Committee (IPAC) of Wednesday, March 27, which decision was rejected by the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
A statement signed by PPP National Secretary Murtala Mohammed said the party rejected the NDC's position to maintain the old register.
"This is an endless cycle of debate perpetuated by the PNP and NDC for political gains to the detriment of taxpayers. The compilation of a new electoral register has never solved the problem of an inflated register.
"The panacea to this thorny issue of the overloaded register is that the Electoral Commission uses National Identification Authority data in place of the voters register.
"Faced with the financial difficulties of Ghana, we can not spend extra money for the establishment of a new register when the state has already voted for money in the country. 39; ANI to produce for us a credible database. The law establishing the NIA provides for the synchronization of all statutory cards such as the DVLA, the pbadport, the SSNIT and the identification number of the electoral commission. Any attempt to undertake a similar exercise and for the same purpose of identification amounts to deliberately causing a financial loss to the state.
"We can not sit and watch the state institutions run silos while draining our national resources with impunity. We have regularly established new voter registers since 1992, but the problem persists. We can not continue to offer the same solution to a problem that gets worse after every attempt to solve it. We are less convinced that the constitution of a new electoral register outside the NIA will clean up the electoral register currently overloaded. it would make the situation worse.
"We are stunned by the slow implementation of the NIA. We ask for a report of what has been done so far and for why the state has developed a speed similar to that of turtles to solve the problems of identifying citizens and non-citizens. "
He added, "The question is: who is a Ghanaian and a non-Ghanaian? Who is major and not major to vote? Is it a question of insufficient funding? Or is it the current leadership's inability to do the job? If funding is insufficient, the funds to be spent for the new registration should be donated to ANI; If there is a leadership problem at the NIA, changes must be made.
"The Progressive People's Party, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations such as the CSD, CODEO, IDEG and the Supreme Court of Ghana have advocated for the synchronization of these identity cards. biometric to reduce costs and standardize state business. and finding a lasting solution to the perpetual political bickering that has characterized the issues surrounding the voter registry.
"We call on the Government of Ghana and parliament to listen to the cries and calls of the citizens to ensure that the NIA receives all the funds necessary to make it functional. We also call on all well-meaning Ghanaians, and the media in particular, to urge the government to ensure that the NIA and the EC collaborate to use the data collected by the National Identification Authority to replace the voter register. .
"We reject the CND's position on maintaining the existing voters list because it is a recipe for disaster. All political parties that believe in free and fair elections should instead seek a lasting solution to this problem by demanding the use of the Ghana Card in the elections of 2020 and beyond.
"We have to make progress. We have too many important problems to deal with. The issue of a new register of voters is nothing but a political tool deployed by both parties to create tension and chaos in this country for a political purpose. "
NDC Secretary General Johnson Asiedu Nketia said in a statement: "At the meeting in question, the EC presented for discussion its planned activities for 2019. While the EC press release covers aspects Upcoming discussions, we note that some parts do not represent the true reflection of what happened at the IPAC meeting.
"We take particular note of part of the EC publication which reads as follows:" The Commission will establish a new register of voters before the presidential and legislative elections of 2020 ".
"We wish to state without fear of contradiction that no decision has been taken on this subject. In fact, the constitution of a new electoral register was mentioned in pbading only by the EC during the discussion on limited enrollments. There has certainly not been much debate on this issue.
"The NDC believes that a subject as important as the establishment of a new electoral register should be discussed in such a way that each aspect and the implications of its implementation are discussed in depth to the satisfaction of the NDC. of all stakeholders and in accordance with due process, a proven rule, procedures and conventions before a decision is made. Such a delicate issue as such must be discussed in depth and all the related consequences, the ramifications taken into account before reaching a decision. "
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