There have been several controversies on the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to compile a new voter register for the upcoming general elections in December this year. Some Ghanaians have shared their thoughts and stand on this matter.
Abdul Mumin Kamal said, “ I believe the sanity of Ghanaian elections has being questioned over time by political actors, more especially political parties. And not forgetting free, fair and credible elections is the backbone of a democracy which of course we count ourselves as part of. As such, in an era that questions continue to be raised about the legitimacy of our register and how it works, who controls the data and gadgets used (which usually malfunctioned in the heat of usage), I think the whole process should be looked at but not entirely compiling a new one.”
He also added that, it can be checked to delete deceased names or illegal entries, but more importantly, even though the Constitution makes the commission independent, the timing of this compilation raises eyebrows from other political actors, especially the opposition.
“So although I’m in favour of a new voters register which is vital for our democratic process, the timing of this exercise might simply not be a perfect one,” he added.
According to Mohammed Alhassan, he believes government is actually behind the push for the new voters register.
“It is this same register that brought the current government into power and I don’t know why government is still pushing the EC to change the register.”
He admits people use ghost names but EC should not use that as the main reason the current register is bloated. “I would have agreed with the EC if we were in 2019 but this is an election year and it doesn’t make sense to compile a new voters register in such a crucial period.”
A woman who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “they should try to clean up the register with the current data they have. We will have to go join long queues to register and that notwithstanding, politicians are already disappointing us and we are fed up.”
She added, “spending so much money on compiling a new voters register is not the priority at the moment. We should channel the money into something else like the Free SHS.”
Meanwhile, SRC Financial Secretary aspirant of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Abdus Samad Abdur Raheem Larry, supports the creation of a new register.
“For me, just focusing on the fact that our electoral database is controlled by a foreign company alone is enough reason for a new register. How can a system through which we elect our president and parliamentarians be controlled by a foreigner? he asked.
“Are we using 2016 as a yardstick? For me, it does not matter if that influenced the 2016 election or not. I am just not comfortable as a Ghanaian, knowing that a system through which I elect my president is under the control of someone sitting in a foreign land. It is absolutely bad.”
Source: TheIndependentGhana | Akaboh Courage
