Since March, 12th, 2020, Ghana got its share of the world’s strongest disease which reared its ugly head lately 2019 and at the inception of 2020. The emergency COVID-19 brought to the world has brought major changes in the economic plans, political arrangements and social behavior of countries. The world has risen to a sense of humor to join efforts to fight the defects of COVID-19 as seen when countries sought support from the World Bank, International Monetary Funds and other international bodies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on individual countries.
As COVID continuous to be on the rise in the world, transparency, fairness and equity is primarily the goal of every government and the need to find same in Ghana. It is however a head on challenge for the political industry in Ghana since COVID-19 has come amidst our normal busy elections year leading to the electoral commission of Ghana taking an entrenched position that breads another pandemic like COVID-19.
Despite the challenges brought by COVID-19, the resistance from Inter Party Resistance Against the New Voters’ Register (IPRAN), the objections from Civil Society Organization (CSO), the outcry from interested groups and individuals, the EC has corked ears to these concerns and wish to continue to compile a supposed credible voters register for the 2020 general elections giving justifications to that effect at any least opportunity in parliament, courts and the media.
I am Kunsaari Enbong, a young idealist from a little village called Jentige who wish to add my voice to the many that raised red flags over the bringing into forth the new voters register amidst COVID-19. Before I continue to pen, let me summarize on the state of our country on the COVID-19 table.
As at today, Ghana case count stands at over 10, 000 with 48 deaths. All regions in Ghana have tasted the nature of COVID-19. Though the death rate of the COVID-19 infested people is steadily slow, the rampant rate of infestation cannot be underrated. The more the numbers are rising, the more concerned we should be as a country taking HIV/AIDS as an example.
On the voters’ register, let facts be, a country that is rigid to modernization isn’t progressive hence the need for continuous improvement in our systems as means of making lives better for our citizenry. In our political space, the EC has every responsibility to ensure that we have a credible voters register one that does not handicap majority of the population eligible to vote.
Here is the case we have found ourselves at the crossroad of political influences on the independence of the electoral commission of Ghana. Let’s step by step understand the genesis to revelation of the EC against the citizens will.
The electoral commission since 1992.
The electoral commission of Ghana was established by article 43 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana with article 45 spelling out clearly the duties of the commission enumerating:
45(a) grants the EC to compile a voters’ register and revise it at such periods as may be determined by law, as 45(e) enjoins the EC to undertake programs for the expansion of registration of voters.
Based on these two fundamental responsibilities of the EC, a credible voters register can be available if the EC observes protocols as spelt out by the citizenship acts of Ghana. Article 42 of the 1992 constitution allows for, to be registered as a voter every citizen of Ghana who is 18 years and above and of sound mind.
Article 6 of the same constitution throws clarity on who a Ghanaian citizen is. It was through this that the EC developed constitutional instruments (C. I 12, C.I 72 and C.I 91 in 1995, 2012 and 2016 respectively). All these constitutional instruments came with improvements on the previously used ones for registration and public elections.
With the introduction of the current C.I 126 which was controversially adopted by a one sided parliament on 9th June, 2020 to allow the EC compile a new voters register for the 2020 general elections, it discredits all existing voters’ identification card and birth certificates but recognizes the newly introduced Ghana card and traveling passport as primary documents to proof citizenship to be enrolled in the electoral data for the purpose of voting.
This is a new style since old voters’ ID cards and birth certificates are two basic documents that can proof one’s citizenship as a Ghanaian. This is because, birth certificates contain all necessary details of a person: name, date of birth, hometown, region, religion etc. and these are basic information that confirms the origin of a person.
Also the old voters’ ID card is unarguably the second best means to proof one’s citizenship as a Ghanaian. For those with the 1995 ID cards and 2012 biometric voters’ ID card, they are people who voted since 1996 and have had enough experience in the electoral history of Ghana. With such people, if they registered when they were not Ghanaians, articles 6-9 of the constitution could be taken advantage of by such people and by now they could be citizens of Ghana.
The arguments
The electoral commission says it wants to compile a new voters register with improved features including facial recognitions. 2012 was the year major electoral reforms were introduced in our electoral system with the introduction of the biometric features. Through the biometric voters’ register, over voting was cut off, vote duplication was erased and images of voters was clear since they took pictures without covering on the heads. It wasn’t surprising that political parties agreed on no verification no vote at IPAC meeting prior to the 2012 and 2016 general elections until challenges on verification at some parts of the country was alarming due to physiological changes on people in those areas.
Personally I happened to witness a no verification, no vote at the just ended District Assembly elections which I won as an Assembly Member through the 2012 voters register. A particular voter reported at the polling station at 9 am and was not able to vote due to the machine not picking his finger prints. He washed with water, alcohol and ash until he was verified at 4pm to vote. Such a tedious process was the reason for the introduction of Manuel verification to avoid disenfranchising people who may not have the courage to endure like this particular voter who stayed all day to be verified.
With the introduction of travelling Passport and Ghana card as the only source documents for registration with the ability to grant ten people after registering, the process will not only disenfranchise people but will intimate them during registration. I was involved in the 2019 limited registration exercise for the district assembly elections and would recount what happened with the issue or guarantor forms.
On the first day, I sent about 70 people to the center and only 15 registered because there were limited guarantors. Even my own sister who turned 18 was denied registration because I had exhausted granting for people by the time it was her turn. The process is tedious with limited proof documents. Ghana card and traveling passport are not common documents as perceived by the EC. In my electoral area, nobody can boast of traveling passport and less than 5% of the people have the opportunity to register for the Ghana card which most of them have not been given.
Funny enough, the EC argues that C.I 72 gave registrants the opportunity to register with NHIS Card which they claim does not show eligibilities. The NHIS card has a date of birth feature with the Coat of Arms boldly beside the Republic of Ghana which all indicate the true age and origin as Ghana hence to base on the ‘Abu Ramadan VS the EC case to say the current register is ’a fruit from a poisonous tree, hence the fruit is poisonous’, the argument is below the belt.
To rely on guarantor forms as means of proof of Ghanaian citizenship, it is the worst and the easiest form of producing a ‘foreign’ based voters register.
The commission impartiality and COVID-19
The electoral commission of Ghana has become the most suspicious public office after the legendary Dr Afari Gyan left office. When Madam Charlotte Osei was appointed, the NPP in opposition as part of their campaign promises, pledged to remove her from office though her office is an independent office. Fortunately, on the part of the NPP the Charlotte Osei led EC supervised the elections that brought them into power. Unfortunately, on the part of Charlotte Osei, the NPP truly honored their promise by axing her from office through claims that drag her and her two deputies to the mud through procurement breaches, an area most public officers can easily be incriminated.
Luckily, Madam Jean Mensah was appointed by the NPP government to the higher office of the EC with a complete over hauling of the electoral commission. The introduction of Dr. Bosman Asare and Dr. Sere Buo were actions that invited the attention of opposition political parties to sense that if the EC was not after anything, the NPP has after something.
Shortly after the over hauling, the issue of new voters’ register was raised and it was quashed by the EC until the last minute the EC has responded to the songs of the NPP, taking entrenched position that they must compile a new voters register. The same EC who praised the outcome of the Ayawasu West Wuogom by-elections, regional creation referendum and the district assembly elections as free, fair and smooth has sought to dispose the data and compile new one with no improvement as claimed.
Suggestions
The EC should not heed to the majority in parliament since they are doing so to please themselves.
The EC should upgrade the new voters register by ensuring that it is clean and have up to date all eligible voters on the voters roll.
The EC should be careful it doesn’t over spend on a white elephant project like the compilation of the new voters register as pushed by the NPP government.
By E.A KUNSAARI