Professor Ransford Yaw Gyampo of the University of Ghana has responded to the National Identification Authority's (NIA) statement issued this week.
The Authority responded to the academic's concerns regarding the use of the Ghana Card as the sole document for the Electoral Commission of Ghana's continuous voter registration (EC). This is anticipated to be included in a CI to be presented to Congress by the EC.
However, in a sharp rebuttal on Saturday, March 11, Professor Gyampo cautioned the NIA not to plunge the country into chaos with its response to concerns raised not only by himself but also by opposition parties.
"There is no justification for this excessive haste, which creates an unnecessary feeling of suspicion that has the potential to lead to implosion," he wrote, noting that the use of the Ghana card alone as the source document for voter registration could have a significant impact on the electoral fortunes of political parties.
"Rather than citing what a deceased political party founder said in support of the Ghana Card, the NIA should listen to the voices of the living about the dangers of intransigence and unwillingness to build consensus on the use of the Card as the sole document for voter registration."
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To the NIA,
Two weeks ago, I observed a very formal response from your organization to my banter with Professor Attafuah on Newsfile. I never thought I was this big or important to warrant such attention from a whole institution that was supposed to be focusing on registering people it had failed to register, resulting in long lines, payment of money, and near stampedes at the NIA headquarters.
Ignore the "fake" Ghana Cards of some minority MPs; none are registered - NIA NIA, your responses are veiled in half-truths; this is known as propaganda. You guys can tickle yourselves and laugh in order to safeguard your jobs. However, some of us will not permit you to unleash chaos in Ghana and flee the country with your Diplomatic or Serviced Passports.
Engage the opposition party leaders once more, and do not dwell on the past. Jerry Rawlings and others' comments were made in the past, and no one questions Ghana Card's relevance. Indeed, long before Prof. Ken Attafuah was appointed, some of us had argued for the necessity of synchronizing all identity cards onto a single card. Therefore, it is of no consequence that other eminent statesmen and women applauded the decision to issue Ghana identification cards.
What is contentious, however, is the disagreement over the use of the Ghana Card as the sole source document for voter registration, as well as the fact that the NIA faces enormously incalculable obstacles that its highest-ranking officials only discuss in private. We need the Ghana Card, but let's proceed with caution. Given that the use of Ghana card alone, as the source document for voter registration, could have a tremendous impact on the electoral fortunes of political parties, there is no justification for this excessive haste, which creates an unnecessary feeling of suspicion that has the potential to lead to implosion.
Instead of citing what a deceased founder of a political party said in support of the Ghana Card, the NIA should listen to the voices of the living regarding the dangers of intransigence and unwillingness to build consensus regarding the use of the Ghana Card as the sole document for voter registration. Let the NIA and Prof. Attafuah refrain from using eloquence and big words to dismiss the challenges that stare us in the face. Prof. Attafuah was in parliament and witnessed the minority group's reaction.
Using one side of Dominic Ayine's argument on the radio to support the counter argument that the NIA does not have a trust deficit is quite dishonest. Professors must examine matters from a holistic perspective. There are two sides to every coin, and as we seek to build Ghana, our efforts must be focused on safeguarding the national interest and not on promoting highly dubious purported accomplishments.
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