Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers, a group, has expressed disappointment with the Communication and Digitalisation Minister for failing to apologise to Ghanaians.
The group says Ursula Owusu-Ekuful should have apologised to Ghanaians for the chaos that characterised the SIM registration exercise.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Network, signed by its Convenor, Ras Mubarak, a former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, in response to the Minister’s announcement of the deadline extension.
“We note with disappointment the Minister of Communications’ announcement today on the chaotic SIM re-registration exercise where she failed to apologize to Ghanaians for the chaos associated with the exercise.
“The confusion and chaos that have characterized the illegal sim-card registration exercise should be blamed at the doorsteps of the Minister for Communications,” the statement read.
The network further expressed concerns with the SIM Registration App to be launched Tuesday, August 2, 2022 which attracts a fee of GH₵5.00.
It described the development as unconstitutional since the imposition has not been sanctioned by the legislature.
Read the full release from the Network below:
For Immediate Release
31st July 2022
RESPONSE TO MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS’ ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE CHAOTIC SIM RE-REGISTRATION EXERCISE
We note with disappointment the Minister of Communications’ announcement today on the chaotic SIM re-registration exercise where she failed to apologize to Ghanaians for the chaos associated with the exercise.
The confusion and chaos that have characterized the illegal sim-card registration exercise should be blamed at the doorsteps of the Minister for Communications.
Also disappointing was the Minister’s indication that a “SIM Registration App will be available for download on both android and IOS” this week and that “each registration via the app will be subject to a 5 cedi surcharge.”
This surcharge as announced by the Minister would be illegal if collected. The Minister has been an MP for some time and should know what ought to be done to impose fees or charges. She has not sought parliamentary approval and has no authority to impose fees or charges without parliamentary approval.
Secondly, at a time of an economic meltdown where serious governments all over the world are giving their citizens relief packages to ease the burden of the recession, it is disappointing that the Minister will seek to illegally impose further burden on the already struggling Ghanaian public.
We call on her to abandon this insensitive announcement to illegally impose a surcharge of GHc 5 on Ghanaians.
We the Concerned Mobile Network Subscribers maintain that the dehumanizing nature of the roll out was avoidable.
The whole exercise lacked a well thought-through implementation strategy, hence the confusion and flip flop.
END.
Signed
Ras Mubarak.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline
