Biometric Registration - Too Late Too Risky

It all sounds rosy ,contemporary and wearisome to the ears especially as Ghana's Electoral Commission has, for the past year and a half, drummed into our ears their intention to provide mechanism for biometric voters registration in time for the 2012 Election but with little to show. Our most immediate historical reference to the debacled National Identification Cards project raises alarm and fear for the following reasons. Amidst wild criticism over the unreasonable lapse of delivery time (three years), to calm tempers, crafted news and photos flashed wild on front pages to depict delivery of cards to registrants - this they did by selecting a tiny segment of the population for that photo opportunity.

With 2012 fast approaching it will be suicidal or foolish to embark upon any process which will create doubts, confusion or disunify our country at her tender level of political maturity. The villages in remote regions will justifiably question their inclusion in our democratic experiment when excuses are offered in defense of Government's inability to reach them on time for registration or breakdown of logistics. Mass education over the process has not been touched upon. Delivery, training of personnel, adequate supply and management of logistics for the entire nation (the most remote areas)on time before 2012- not urban sectors only make reasonable minds wonder if the notion is not a shamble or devised ploy to exclude some segments of the voting public from the process. The National Identification Cards polluted our confidence into viewing things askew. As of this time of writing none of my colleagues or any person I know has received his/her ID card after three years of promise.
I read ghanatelescope.com a lot. It offers lots of logical insights.

Dr Tommy de Laurence
Publisher
Ghana Telescope