Charles Owusu has expressed support for the Electoral Commission to push for a new Constitutional Instrument (CI) by Parliament that will ensure the use of the Ghana Card as the only identity card that qualifies Ghanaian voters to be registered in the electoral roll.
The new CI proposed by the Electoral Commission has been met with strong opposition from the Minority in Parliament and members of the National Democratic Congress.
The opposition has registered its intention to oppose the implementation of this CI until its concerns about the Ghana Card are addressed.
He said the new CI would exclude some Ghanaians but the EC Chairman, Jean Mensa, has refuted the argument. “using only the Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the confidence of the register and the Election, prevent the enrollment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, eliminate guarantors”.
“We do not intend to deprive people of the right to vote. It is in our interest to register people. This would be the antithesis of denying Ghanaians the right to vote,” he emphasized when he spoke in Parliament.
Contributions to the panel discussion are at Peace FM The “Kokrokoo” programme, Charles Owusu, former Head of the Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, questioned the NDC’s logic in opposing the use of the Ghana Card in the electoral process.
“When the banks say they won’t accept identification except Ghana card, can you send your passport to the bank to collect money? It’s your own money but you can take your passport and get money? …Why didn’t they say they won’t accept it because the money in the bank is yours, so you can’t say I only carry my Ghana Card but I choose to carry another identity?”, he asked.
“I can decide to bring health insurance, driver’s license or any card, but when the bank says, even if this is your money, everyone has accepted and linked the Ghana card to the bank account. It’s a matter of voting, it’s a hassle people don’t want to understand and support?”, he expressed his disappointment in the NDC.
In defense of EC, Mr. Owusu emphasized; “The Ghana Card will give you a clean society so that when you get the Ghana Card, you will be proud to be a Ghanaian.”
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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