Listening ToAfari-Gyan Could Help EC Save Ghana Unnecessary Chaos in 2024

Ghanaian people, upon all hunger’s anger, shouldn’t be called a bluff of self-worth and, humiliated in democracy’s servitude of a sort. Lest our politicians forget the good, the bad and, the ugly end-game’s wit of over-oppressed governed.

The Anchor reflects on the recent announcement of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, to use the Ghana Card as sole reference document in the 2024 general election, which seems to have ruffled feathers.

Where the paper wasn’t surprised, is because, even before the announcement, the Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has already rejected that move, in a news conference, chaired by its Leader, Haruna Iddrisu.

Iddrisu’s revelation that the Ghanaian electoral body was planning to use the Ghana Card only as sole identification document for the 2024 elections was received with mixed reaction; and, nature of response depends of which part of the nation’s political shades one rests in.

However, the paper contends, when there is always a spark of fire whence smoke rises overhead, we bid time, even in the initial denial of the minority’s “unfounded allegation” especially, its accompaniment outright lies to the effect that a colossal sum of 80million USD was being sought by the EC for the mooted political maladventure, at the taxpayer.

But, to large extent, the majority of Ghanaians also decry the EC’s planning, if any, to use the Ghana Card as sole or principal identification document in any election soon, let alone the 2024’s. But the controversial argument and counterargument seldom lasts when the proverbial “cat jumped out of the bag” thanks SerebuorQuacoe, one of the able lieutenants of the EC Chairperson.

When we are not seeing the ensuing impasse as against the fairness being espoused by the EC in its early ‘electioneering’, we view the people’s rejection of the announcement as premature and, indeed, wrong-timing. This is because, when the EC, as an autonomous authority couldn’t control both the inner and outer workings of the National Identification Authority (NIA) as another autonomous entity, the latter already is contending a difficult baggage, if not a garbage, of sanity issues bordering on the ongoing Ghana Card registration and, its additional quest to linking some forty million cellphone communications SIM Cards to Ghana Card owners’; additional burden again placed on the NIA by National Communications ministry by ‘fiat’.

The official behavior of the NIA, so far, has its patrons describing it as abysmal performer, who though charges so much, fails to fulfill its side of the bargain; and, working far, far, far behind schedules to complement the Communications and digitalization ministry’s fire-breathing on the SIM Card related communications patrons’ head.

In view of all this, The Anchor believes, like other majority voices, advising the EC to shelve its plan of using the Ghana Card as only reference document for the 2024 elections. We are just being students of experience, as we are seeing now, as far as, the Re-registration of SIM Card – referencing only to Ghana Card and its ruffling effect on the people.

The Anchor would also ask the Electoral Commission ‘strong people’ to listen to reasons, being espoused by arguably the longest and most globally-venerated predecessor, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, to haste in patience.

Kwadwo believes the EC’s decision to use the Ghana Card as the only source document for continuous voter registration can disenfranchise millions of qualified electorate.

He further explained that with many Ghanaians finding it difficult to get their Ghana Cards, making it the only form of identification for voter registration was against electoral inclusivity, fairness and justice; arguing, “Ghanaian citizens don’t lose their citizenship if they are 18 years or older but do not have the Ghana Card: and queries, why make the Ghana Card the only means of identification for purposes of establishing eligibility to register to vote.

Thelesson, maybe, the EC of Ghana led by Jean Adukwei Mensah, and of course, section of Ghana failed to learn is that of the embarrassment of the last presidential election petition. Please, let Ghanaians feel worthy of citizenship for once.

Source: Anchorghana