Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare is optimistic that the Electoral Commission (EC) can compile a new voters’ register while observing measures to control the spread of COVID-19.
Dr Nsiah-Asare who was speaking on UTV’s 'Critical Issues' hosted by Afia Pokuaa, last Saturday said since people have been queuing at the banks to transact businesses and engaging in other activities, we can register while practising social distancing.
“People have been going to the bank to withdraw money; it’s the same method. You control the crowd, and in Ghana, if you want to control the crowd it’s very simple,” he argued.
Martin Kpebu objects
However, a private legal practitioner, lawyer Martin Kpebu speaking on the same platform, urged that we need to tread cautiously as a country.
Lawyer Kpebu disagreed insisting that by the time of elections, “the nation would have had a firm grip of the movement of the disease or there will be a vaccine”.
No vaccine by November
But Dr Nsiah-Asare insists that “by November there will be no vaccine, vaccine takes a long time”.
Lawyer Kpebu insists the EC can manage the old register for the December elections.
Life goes on
But according to Dr. Nsiah-Asare “life should go on . . . corona will come, corona will go; there are some countries who have had their elections. If you have the will to do a credible transparent election, you can do it”.
To him if people are having concerns with getting infected with the virus while registering for a new voters’ register; ‘then we should not even vote’.
Listen to their submissions in the video below
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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What was wrong with the voter register compiled in 2004 which brought NDC under Attah into power in 2008 and was change in 2012? Yes, to the NDC some Ghanaians have short memories therefore they can't easily remember offhand the time lapse between the current register and what's going to be compiled (2004-2012 and 2012-2020). NDC supported Charlotte Osei's EC not to compile a new register which NPP was agitating for and now NPP is supporting Jean Mensah's EC to compile a new register so what are your problems? Should NDC always have their wishes to be implemented? No way for SATAN)1
A lot of us have not gotten the NIA Cards and some have to even register for it. The NIA RUSHED with these cards issuance and a lot couldn't register and even those who registered have not gotthen their cards. why would the EC have patience for the NIA to register all of us begore or do a mob up before the new voter register? why is the ec not trying to used or recommend the old voter cards since that is what all of us are using to transact our banking and other activities? why is the EC saying that the old voter register is not valid does that mean that Nana Akuffu Addo was not validly elected? EC is hiding something from we GHANAIANS. How many of us in Accra here has passports let alone to talk of those in the villages?
What at all is it with the old register that some people just don't want to have it changed? It is getting sillier by the day. We should manage with the old register, something that will require registering almost 1 million new voters. That one you say no problem, they can go an register, but to compile a new register you say it is dangerous. They have completely run out of reasons as to why they don't want the register changed, but they are just stuck with it. Who on this earth does not want to update things? The phones, laptops etc. we are using today are certainly not the same as those we used 10 years ago, so why is that when it comes to the register, that must not be updated?
This matter is about the lack of trust. The opposition political party and many other Ghanaians simply do not trust the EC and the government, and for good reasons too. The government has not built trust with Ghanaians.
If you have a dumb doctor like this advisory the president why wouldn't the health minister also come and tell us to live with it. This is the same man who went on air and projected 3000000 persons would get COVID 19 and 150000 person will die. The next day he came and changed his position that what he said was false. So it would be dangerous to listen to someone like this. I am not surprised of what he is saying now, because they are all there to message figures and rubbish the seriousness of COVID 19 to enable EC do thier new register, period.
woaa look at the advisor to the a president, speaking like a class 3 primary school boy, how could u say that if we can't compile a new register then we should not vote as well,is voting management ur profession?
If they are entreated to READ, they get angry. If @yaw boafo had done a little bit of reading to update himself, he would have known that the claims by Adongo, John Jinapor and his NDC concerning different figures to IMF are false. If anything at all, it was the NDC that once upon a time falsified figures to the IMF which led to Ghana being fined. Common sense should tell you that "if you are afraid to register, then you should be afraid to vote". Whatever the NDC is hiding in that register that they are protecting so spiritedly will surely be weeded out. The Ketu-south and north bloated figures will be cleaned. And they know that will spell their demise.
Let's for once discuss issues taken away political lenses and deal with issues holistically. What Dr. Nsiah suggested was just common sense. Covid-19 is going to live with us for sometime, hence, life will not stop because of Convid-19. Observing social distancing, wearing face mask and washing of hands with soap under runnong running water and keeping good hygiene is our sure bet to reduce spread of the virus. So what is it that cannot be done if we have the will. Whether we use old register or new register, we will still have to go through these protocols even if we have to vote. So let's have open discussion with better suggestions than rubishing issues with insults.
This is an inward comment by a spokesperson on COVID -19. Now it is clear that that figures coming out on the fight against the pandemic is highly compromised. This is a shame and we should not be proud. If what MP Adongo is saying about data submitted to IMF is not the same as what was presented, then I have no doubt that the same would be done to WHO. For God's sake let us be honest with ourselves and insist on doing what right because it pays. If not there would be a time that nobody will respect any authority and things will surely fall apart. Let us do away with politrics, Now ghanaians have no faith in everything, which is worrying.