Akua Donkor Ditches Mahama As Her Party Calls For A New Voters� Register
National Executives of the Ghana Freedom Party have sent a proposal to the Electoral Commission, backing the New Patriotic Party’s call for a new voters’ register.
The call comes as surprise considering unbreakable the relationship which exist between the Madam Akua Donkor, flagbearer of GFP and senior members of the ruling National Democratic Congress including the president.
Her party’s view on the subject has been captured in a lengthy document copied to the Electoral Commission and signed by national executives of the GFP.
Below is a copy of the proposal
PROPOSAL FOR CONSIDERATION ON THE NEED FOR NEW GHANAIAN VOTERS’ REGISTERBY GHANA FREEDOM PARTY (GFP) TO THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION, GHANA
Table of Content Pages
Introduction………………………………..............1
Problem Statement……………………………….....1
Conclusion………………………………………………4
Recommendations……………………………………4
Introduction
We first of all appreciate the opportunity extended to us as a political party in the country to share our views on the need for our country, Ghana to whether or not to replace the old voters’ register for the sake of smooth and credible elections in 2016, thereby ensuring peace in the country.
In Ghana, biometric was important in restoring the public’s confidence in the electoral process after the controversial 2008 elections. We are of the strongest opinion to humbly ask your august Institution which has the independent mandate to steer the affairs of the country’s elections to consider our views for a new national voters’ register.
Before we proceed we will want to remind you that as an independent institution your service is for the good people of this country to experience peace. Therefore, we want remand you that the nation’s interest is supreme in this regard. We want to emphatically state that we share in the widely held view across the political parties and the nation at large that the 2012 voters’ register is bloated with flaws.
Problem Statement
A recent report by the Electoral Integrity Project found voter registers most problematic component of the electoral process worldwide. Almost every African election is accompanied by polemics about the reliability of the voter register, allegations of double voting and votes by minors and foreigners which Ghana cannot be left out. For this reason we the national executive and the entire members GFP propose for the consideration the under listed points on the need for new national voters’ register;
· Firstly, the perception that the 2012 voters’ register is flawed with minors and foreigners names are a major concern since it gives room for mistrust on the register, making it loose its credibility.
· Secondly, there is a court ruling on the use of the health insurance for national voter’s registration. It was realized that foreigners who were part of the insurance scheme participated in the national registration process which was used for the 2012 Ghanaian general election.
This therefore makes the voters’ register to be void hence cannot be used for future election in Ghana. This was supported by the evident when it was ruled by Supreme Court that it was null and void to use the NHIS cards to register for elections since it could not be accepted as an official identification card in the country.
· In addition to that, we are of the believed that some EC officials were influenced by some political parties to cause the 2012 voters’ register bloated. We are saying this because we have reliable information that some EC officials were motivated financially to connive with a particular party in 2012 general election to rig the elections.
We currently have information that some people have been posted to some strategic constituencies in the country for schemed electoral malpractices in ahead of the 2016 general elections and thus want to prompt the EC and all stakeholders to be vigilant to avert this situation.
· Further, it was realized that during the Supreme Court trial over the 2012 election petition Dr Afari Gyan, the former chairman of Electoral Commission (EC), himself confirmed that the register contained 5,000 Ghanaians living abroad (Diasporas), but it turned out that only 700 of them were truly identified in the register and even among this number only 55 were able to vote during the 2012 elections.
· Again it can also be recalled that some years ago a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) argued that the Volta region belong to Togoland, which was then called Trans Volta land subsequently published a book on it to reemphasized his claims.
As a political party our investigations revealed that the current civil war in Ivory Coast made it possible to transport nearly 1.3 million refugees into the country and as a result of that about 978,000 of them registered and voted in Ghanaian elections in 2012. Therefore, we want to say that, the claim does not hold. Since there should be a mechanism to distinguishes between the Ghanaian voters on the borderlands from the Togolese and other nationals.
· According to the running mate of New Patriotic Party ,Dr Mahamadu Bawumia about 76,000 Togolese names were found in the Ghana’s voters’ register, which represent 10 percent of the total number of the voter population of the register.
If this is anything to go by then one can assume that 100 percent of this voter flawed in the register can be estimated to be 4 million. A situation which is very disturbing and worrisome and this we believe should be a basis to get new voters’ register but not just cleaning it.
· It is obvious almost all political parties perceive the existing political voter register as bloated making it lose its credibility and this can jeopardize the future security of the country if something drastic is not done to correct the anomaly .
In addition to that information peddling around the media suggesting that the voters register is inflated with foreigners and minors is an indicative that all is not well with the register. That is why we the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) are proposing for a new national voter’s register and its exhibition for a stipulated time of not less than one month.
· Last but not the least, it was found that the 2012 voters’ register is flawed in monumental proportion with minors’ names in part and this alone is a justification to get a new voter register. The argument that the names of minors found in the register should be allowed to stay in it till they reach 18 years is preposterous since it falls flat against the provision of the electoral laws which stipulates that only people who are 18 years and above and are of sound mind are eligible to be registered to vote in Ghana’s elections.
Conclusion
In view of this electoral challenges we think it would be most appropriate for the EC to adopt a permanent identification cards for future elections .It should also have permanent registration cards for elections.
This should guide us not to make a mistake. That is why it is possible for our brothers and sisters in Ivory Coast, Togo and Baukina Faso to have interrelations, thereby creating avenue for double registration on these border lands. In this vain, we call on the EC to put in place a mechanism to check this situation.
Recommendations
First of all, we want to recommend to the EC to have a new voter’s register which the NHIS card as ruled by the Supreme court should not be used in the registration process.
Secondly, we want to suggest that the EC should have collating boards mounted in all the constituencies, regions across the country in addition to central collating board at a strategic place like Independence square for greater and effective electoral communication.
We are also proposing that the EC should have self auditing system which should at least be supervised by about five (5) permanent staff each in every district across the country to audit the register at least once in every month.
The EC should have special time to invite all political parties’ representatives to audit the register with the help of them.
We also want to suggest that the EC should have mechanism to identify foreigners who are at certain point in time are evacuated into the country as a result of political unrest in their countries.
We also would want to recommend that the EC should have 10-year strategic road map for the country’s electoral elections.
In this vain we would want to urge the EC to establish data centre which will be coordinated with the data base of Electoral Commission (EC) and National Identification Authority (NIA) and Birth and Death registry Department. This will pave the way for every eligible voter to be electronically registered, verified and vote electronically so that their votes casted are as well countered electronically.
Further this brings in mind a question about the kind of technology the EC is currently using and in this regard we the Ghana Freedom Party would want to know from the EC what kind of technology it is using. We are asking this question because we are of the view that the technology was compromised that is why we currently have a bloated and flawed voters’ register.
In this connection, we would want to recommend that the EC procures a new technology which should be known to at least IT experts from all political parties in the country to know its workings and operations to engender trust among us and the entire people of the country.
We also would want to propose that the electronic machines should have power back-ups to avoid random faults on the voting day.
We are of the view that the register should be discussed dispassionately, intellectually and with proper analysis base on facts and figures devoid of emotions, sentiments and personal attacks.
Our President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama is on record to have gone to Togo in his capacity as ECOWAS Chairman to convince the Togolese Government to do a new voter register and as results of that the Togolese are enjoying peace in their country. Although the Economic situation in the country might not be good, comparatively and certainly cannot be compared to volumes and lives of the people of Ghana in case there is political unrest as a result of dispute over bloated register.
Lets us all forge ahead and help ourselves to develop the country.
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