The Founder and Leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Mr Kofi Percival Akpaloo, has posited that the ongoing national identification exercise amounts to causing financial loss to the state.
According to him, he did not see the need to invest USD$1.2 billion of the taxpayer’s money into a needless venture.
Mr Akpaloo’s stance is that the database of the Electoral Commission (EC) provided ample foundation for national identification and that a new database was irrelevant.
EC database
“I don’t see the need to invest over USD$1.2 billion to build a new database because we have the EC database,” he stressed.
Mr Akpaloo said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic on his view of the ongoing national identification exercise which had attracted much debate within the political circles of the country.
Explaining his stance, Mr Akpaloo said the EC had the data of all those above 18 years living in Ghana.
More so, he stated that banks and other public institutions relied on the voter identity card to identify people in business transactions and wondered why the National Identification Authority (NIA) could not rely on that.
He, was, therefore of the view that it would be a better option to integrate the EC data and update it, stressing that “instead of building a complete new system, we should adopt the EC database and add on”.
NIA/GRA
Mr Akpaloo called on the NIA and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to desist from spending scarce resources on acquiring a new database because at the end of the day, what the country was actually looking for was the means to identify Ghanaians using unique ID numbers.
The premise of his argument was that basically if one was not a Ghanaian, one could not vote so by inference, everyone with a voter ID card was a Ghanaian.
In the view of the LPG, it is personal interest and not national interest that is pushing for spending $1.2 billion for the entire 15-year project, saying: “It simply does not make sense because at the end of the day, what we are looking for is a unique ID for everyone.”
He said in the US, for example, every citizen had a unique social security number that identified them, while in the Republic of Ireland, they had the Public Personal Service (PPS) number that was used to identify citizens.
Source: Graphic.com
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People should read and think before they comment. Logic logic logic. Please. Kofi Akpaloo i am not sure understands the issues and as a party leader instead of seeking clarifications they will talk when given microphone. If u know the importance National identification people will rather give better suggestions so the exercise will be successful instead of demonizing it. We all have issues with the cost but that does not mean we should stop it and the EC one which is not comprehensive card has no chip to read any information from it.
The EC register used for the elections was all we had, with its imperfections. What is wrong with trying to do things better. The whites are always trying to improve upon things, but for us, we dont because we benefit from the chaos. When we have enriched ourselves from the chaos we run overseas for a better life. God help us. Unfortunately a lot of the people who oppose and protest against progress and innovations do not even benefit directly from the chaos but are content to support those who do. Some mentality.
Yo do not make sense even though you are not a cat meat eater. What was used to elect Nana Addo who boasts of resounding endorsement by Ghanaians? No wonder prominent NPP members have threatened to expose the dubious means you used to win elections. nkwaseansemnkwaaan
He doesnt even know what he is talking about? when and where did they state that your tax will be used to pay 1.2 billion on this card? people should read and seek clarification before making baseless and senselezs allegations. People must be sued to stop this malice. Ghana??????smh
When u eat too much cat meat u refuse to think. If the EC database was that good and comprehensive why will the Supreme court ask them to go remove some names? nsem fo wor Ghana too much. All these characters cannot file for election and yet the media gives them air time
***barred word*** LIKE YOU.***barred word*** HEAD MAN.