Atik Mohammend (left) and some leaders of the group at the Press conference
A group calling itself Mass Action Committee (MAC) has backed the need for a new voters’ register, saying it is not “an option but urgent necessity”.
The group contends that a new register will make Ghana’s electoral democracy better.
At a press conference yesterday, the executive secretary of MAC, Atik Mohammed, stated that one of the key defining features of a thriving democracy is the conduct of a transparent, free and fair elections.
He added that the production and use of a reliable electoral roll is chief among processes towards such elections.
More technical than propaganda
Mr Mohammed noted that the issues being raised for a new voters’ register is more technical, urging the public not to be swayed by the propaganda of some few people who are against the EC’s decision.
Giving some details, he explained that the biometric verification registration process and the electoral data storage is a three-stage process, namely capturing of fingerprints; processing them into a biometric template; and finally matching them against other templates and storing.
He said the Biometric Verification Registration (BVR) Kits, procured in 2011, and having been in use since then, have become obsolete.
“In point of fact, the original manufacturer of the BVRs (HSB identification, B.V., The Netherlands) in their letter to SUPERTEC Ltd (STL) dated 18th May, 2018, indicated in no unclear terms that components in the current BVRs are at their End of Life (EOL) including laptops,” he said.
Mr Mohammed said the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) are also fraught with similar challenges, necessitating their replacement.
Cost
He rejected claims by the Inter-Party Resistance Against the New Voters’ Register (IPRAN) that compiling a new voters’ register will cost the country huge sums of money.
He rather stated that a new voters’ register will cost the country less and save a whopping $18,364,500.00, equivalent to GH₵104,677,650.00.
He has therefore called on Ghanaians to support the call for a new register and go out in their numbers to register when the EC starts the process in April.
