New voters register: 'Entitled' NDC wrong to complain

Social commentator Sydney Casely-Hayford has decried the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) sense of entitlement on matters having to do with the electoral register.

After the NDC’s agitations over the Electoral Commission’s move to compile a new voters register, Mr. Casely-Hayford stressed that the opposition party is wrong.

“Both parties behave like the EC has no right to do anything or to correct the register because they are the only ones who are entitled, and they should be consulted before anything is done to the register. And I am saying that is wrong,” he remarked on The Big Issue.

“At the bedrock of all our democracy has to be a good accepted register by the people of this country. The fact that the NDC has formed a political party and the NPP has formed a political party and has channelled the voice of its so-called members through it doesn’t give them the right to usurp our authority.”

“The EC is the one who is mandated constitutionally and by law to make changes to the register which she [EC Chairperson Jean Mensa] believes should be used for conducting elections. So if she has decided that she is going to do it and she has been courteous enough to inform you that this is what I will be doing, you have no right to disagree and say we don’t accept that you should do it,” he argued further.

The EC’s decision for a new register came after an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Wednesday.

The EC said it made the decision in consultation with political parties.

It has said the new register will include enhancing features, making it worthy of Ghana’s democracy.

Reacting to the EC’s announcement, the NDC demanding the withdrawal of the communique issued by the EC insisting that no consensus was reached.

EC’s announcement reckless

Also on The Big Issue, IMANI Africa President, Franklin Cudjoe, however, said EC’s announcement of plans to compile a new voters register for the 2020 general elections was reckless.

“Presumably, for a big announcement like this, all parties should be on board. It looks as if this is quite a reckless means of communicating a major decision that had not been thought through properly by all parties,” he said.