A leading member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Gabby Otchere Darko, has justified his call for \u00a0political parties to boycott the Electoral Commission\u2019s (EC) forum on proposals for a new\u00a0voters\u2019 register.<\/p>\n
The EC has tasked a five-member panel<\/strong> <\/span><\/a>to hold a two-day public hearing on calls for the compilation of a new voters’ register.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”BIA2g1Tmls3O7YG7p8NZwQNeYa4QW19u”]But Gabby Otchere Darko who is also the former Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, and a\u00a0member of the NPP, believes the EC\u2019s move would\u00a0 be an exercise in futility.<\/p>\n \u201cThe EC believes it has found a clever way to destroy their case which is to\u00a0organize a public forum but constitute the panel of experts in such a way that those who want a new register would end up with egg on their faces”.<\/p>\n \u201cMy prediction is that the panel will seek to discredit the evidence that non-nationals have been proven to be on Ghana\u2019s register and also the EC database has been compromised.\u00a0 It will then proceed to conclude by recommending an \u201caudit\u201d of the register with the view of a clean-up exercise, if necessary. It would make the details of this audit so vague that it would make the task of seeing the head or tail of John Mahama\u2019s economic policy seem as clear as water (perhaps, the iced kind he is so proud of) in a glass,\u201d Gabby noted in a statement.<\/p>\n He wondered how the panel would be objective and fair when some of its members had already taken entrenched positions on the subject matter.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it appears that this is the EC\u2019s understanding of an independent inquiry and they will act upon the timings and recommendations of the public forum and when you look at the composition, at least two of the members on that panel have expressed that they are not for any new register, so they have already taken their position” he noted.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of them\u00a0is Justice VCRAC Crabbe who\u00a0said he was not for a new register and that we should do what the others are saying which says there should be a clean- up. He has come out \u00a0already to state his position; so how can such a person be regarded as a sincere, objective impartial arbiter in such a matter,\u201d he quizzed\u00a0on Eyewitness News.<\/p>\n He also alleged that the panel would be biased since one of its members is a known\u00a0member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).<\/p>\n Gabby therefore suggested that the \u201cpanel ought to be boycotted by parties whose\u00a0view is contrary to the view being held by some persons on the panel.<\/p>\n The EC set up the five member panel after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) alleged that some foreign nationals and minors were in\u00a0the current register.<\/p>\n The EC, before setting up the panel, tasked various political parties to submit their proposals on the matter. Calls for the compilation of a new register has sparked a debate among various groups and stakeholders.<\/p>\n While some believe a new register will promote transparency in the 2016 elections, others are of the view that may not serve any purpose.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Marian Efe Ansah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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