Let’s resource EC to undertake boimetric registration — NPP

THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged the government to ensure that the Electoral Commission (EC) receives adequate resources on time to enable it undertake the biometric registration to replace the current bloated voters register.
He argued that the widespread irregularities that had characterised previous general elections, particularly double registration, voting and involvement of minors in the polls, all leading to confusion, misunderstanding and violence required the introduction of a biometric voters register to address those challenges.
The General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, who was commenting on the issue to the Daily Graphic noted that these irregularities posed the greatest threat to the nation’s democratic process because elections and its related issues had been the breeding grounds for most precariousness in Africa countries.
In February this year, the EC advertised in the Daily Graphic requesting for an expression of interest in the biometric technology to replace the existing voters register that was compiled in 2004.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie noted that although the biometric registration did not hold the magic wand to solve all election disputes that might erupt, it would minimise them drastically, including affording the stakeholders the greatest opportunity to have easy verification when there was any doubtful situation.
He said the EC had shown commitment to use the biometric technology to register, the party was also aware that the commission was in the process of submitting the budget for the use of the technology to Parliament in a supplementary budget and appealed to the “Mills Administration not to repeat its attitude of cutting down on budgets submitted.
“The NPP is calling on the Mills-Mahama Administration to be bold and ensure that when the EC submits its supplementary budget, which included funds for the implementation of the biometric register to replace the 2004 register, it would receive funds needed.
“They should walk the talk because the voters register was the basic to every election process. Although the NDC government lacks credibility when it comes to fulfilling promises, it should not exhibit such unreliability when the time for releasing funds for the process was due,” he added.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie advised the EC to exert its independence guaranteed under 1992 Constitution and make the Ghanaians aware of any constraints they would encounter in the process of requesting for funds to undertake the project and “not to sit idle and fall into the pockets of the government”.
He noted that there was no denial of the fact that democracy was expensive and a country that professed to be committed to democracy must put its money where its mouth was.
Regarding the NPP’s parliamentary elections, Mr Owusu-Afriyie expressed satisfaction at the turn of events and attributed the peaceful nature of the process so far to the guidelines set out and the nation wide tour embarked upon by the party Chairman, Mr Jake Obetsbi-Lamptey, the Flag Bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and other executives.
He added that the party had not had any course to put any of its members before any committee to solve parliamentary primary disputes and urged the members, especially the constituency executives to maintain the level playing field for all aspirants.
He paid a glowing tribute to the Upper East Regional Chairperson of the opposition NPP, Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, for respecting the party’s rules and stepping down to contest the Builsa North slot, where she used to be the Member of Parliament.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie said contrary to speculation that the party filing fees were exorbitant, parliamentary hopefuls had paid without complaint.
Early this year, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey wrote to the EC Chairman, urging him to reconvene an immediate meeting of the political parties to consider matters that would ensure a hitch-free 2012 polls.
The Inter-Parties Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings, the chairman stated, would enable the parties to sort out major issues before the next elections. Such a meeting would afford the parties the opportunity to brood over key electoral matters such as the aftermath of the release of the census results and the possible re-demarcation of constituencies and the creation of new ones. Also making such meetings necessary, he noted, was the compilation of a new, verifiable biometric voters' register.