RESOLVING REGISTRATION BLUES

Page 7: Daily Graphic, April 12, 2012. CONCERNS continue to be raised by stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic process over the confusion and violence that have characterised the ongoing biometric registration exercise. It appears the initial teething problems of late arrival of registration officials, breakdown of equipment, applicants being obstructed from registering, lack of understanding of the processes and attempts to register minors and aliens continue to persist. There is also the problem of anxious applicants rushing to centres to register because they are not aware if their places of residence fall within a specific registration centre or not. All these challenges keep recurring because of inadequate public education or the sheer desire among some people to be among the first to register. We believe it is both. It is a fact that election-related issues have caused mayhem in various parts of the world, including Africa. Post-election violence in Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal is too recent for us to forget so soon. That is why we believe the call by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, on the Electoral Commission (EC) to convene an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to iron out issues that have surfaced in the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise must not be swept under the carpet. The current situation where there is rampant breakdown of equipment, especially where the gadgets break down for three consecutive days, needs urgent attention. What happens to applicants who are unable to register at a centre whose equipment break down for three days? Do they have to rush to a nearby centre in the next phase to register? We wonder what will happen on election day when many people who registered at a particular centre have to queue up to cast their ballot. Will the EC provide more desks to facilitate the casting of the ballot on election day? After all, we know that in the past the EC had an upper ceiling beyond which no voter was captured on the electoral roll in order not to have long queues at voting centres. The Daily Graphic thinks that the EC and the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) must intensify their public education campaigns and also address the challenges coming up. There are still a large number of qualified voters queuing to register, with some keeping vigil at registration centres so that their names will be captured on the electoral roll. Ghana has come a long way in its democratic journey and we cannot afford to terminate the journey by our actions and inaction. We have come far in our quest for development and we believe we must all sustain this path by sustaining the peace and stability that we are enjoying now. We urge the EC to heed the call by Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, so that we can work together to guard the democratic path we have chosen to ensure that all eligible voters register and also exercise their voting rights in the December 2012 polls.