A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Edward Van Gyampo, has intimated the usage of the Ghana card as a sole document for updating the electoral roll is not is not an issue.
He, however, says there are many Ghanaians who do not posses the card, the reason it becomes problematic to enforce such a policy that directly affects an exercise as important and critical as the national elections.
He had earlier commented on the development saying the NIA currently “suffers a severe trust deficit partly because of the perception in the minds of some people. I have personally spoken to that, the Authority seems to be working well in some strongholds and deliberately deficient in other strongholds.
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Prof. Gyampo was of the view that although the perception he speaks about may not make sense to Prof. Attafuah, what he failed to understand and appreciate is the fact that conflicts are oftentimes not caused by what is sensible.
“I respectfully expect you to work to address such perceptions to deal with the trust deficit,” he said in his post.
Explaining further what he meant by his comments on the Ghana cards which the NIA took in bad faith, he said on Maakye with Captain Smart Monday, March 20, 2023, that he spoke in the interest of the state and not to undermine anyone.
According to him, comments about consolidating the other identification on the Ghana card was started in former President Kufuor’s era when he introduced it.
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“There is nothing wrong with using the Ghana card as a document for [voter] registration but there are challenges that need to be ironed out. Is it everyone that has the Ghana card? These are the challenges that need to be resolved for the NIA itself to have institutional peace.
“I don’t speak out of malice but for the interest of Ghana. We won’t allow a few politicians and appointees to destroy this country. Some of us had already spoken about consolidating our cards into the Ghana card during J.A. Kufuor’s era,” he pointed out.
Speaking further, the former head of the European Studies at the University of Ghana indicated the government’s posture towards the Ghana card as compared to other pressing issues in the country leaves much to be desired.
His amazement as he explained was how the Finance Minister, Kenneth Ofori-Atta told Parliament the fund needed to issue remaining Ghana cards were ready in the midst of the child vaccine shortage and labour union agitation with the government over better conditions of service.
This, Prof. Gyampo said raises a lot of suspicion on the fortunes of the upcoming elections for the government as far as the Ghana card is concerned.
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“When the discussion on the Ghana card was ongoing, labour unions were agitating with government over money, there were vaccine shortage but Ken told them (NIA) the money for the cards was ready.
“It means there is so much suspicion about it. It means the entire elections depend on it. When you’re giving a mandate to lead, it’s not about hyping your mandate but know there are stakeholders out there. There are trust deficits in it and we need to iron it out that’s what I said and Prof. Ken Attafuah quoted me Rawlings’ comment. We don’t need a dead man’s quote,” he said on Onua TV/FM.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
