Political Activist and physician, Dr. Arthur Kennedy has criticized the Electoral register and called on the need for reforms.
Dr. Arthur shared his thoughts on the recurring challenges with Ghana’s voter register and the broader issues surrounding electoral reforms. Dr. Arthur pointed to the need for a transparent and structured legal framework to guide the creation and maintenance of voter registers. In his view, the current situation, marked by external interference and flawed processes, has resulted in bloated and potentially corrupt electoral registers. He also expressed concern about the Electoral Commission’s (EC) role in managing these challenges. According to Dr. Arthur, there are powerful external forces that have consistently influenced the EC’s decisions concerning the voter register. These forces, he suggested have hindered efforts to bring about the much-needed reforms.
“I can tell you that I have a friend who, both under Miss Charlotte Osei and Miss Jean Mensah, had been engaged as a consultant to talk to them about some of these very issues, and he had hit the same roadblocks.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy Political Activist and physician
These roadblocks, according to him, seem to stem from certain vested interests that benefit from the current state of the electoral register. Dr. Arthur emphasized that there should be certain laws to prevent the manipulation of the register by external entities or any group of people with ulterior motives.
“It seems as if they are very powerful external forces involved in this pattern of exercises to remake our registers, and we need to enshrine this in straightforward transparent law, so that they will be routine.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy Political Activist and physician
A Bloated Electoral Register
Dr. Arthur argued that the register does not accurately reflect the country’s population size, which raises questions about the validity of the voter data.
“… The reason I keep saying that is, I can tell you that, God willing, if we are all alive in 4 to 8 years, another EC or even this EC under a new government will suddenly discover that this particular register is bloated or tainted with corruption and all that.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy Political Activist and physician
Dr. Arthur pointed out that the proportion of registered voters compared to the population appears unusually high, indicating a possible flaw in the registration process. According to Dr. Arthur, these procedural errors could be traced back to the inadequate application of biometric measures during the voter registration process.
“…By the way, I can tell you that the register is bloated because if you look at our population and the percentage of the population that is registered… it looks as if our register is too large.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy Political Activist and physician
The Role of Biometric Measures
Dr. Arthur explained that the current process involves lapses that allow for the manipulation of data, resulting in the register’s inflation.
“It comes from some of the procedural errors that when they are doing these registers, you need to apply biometric measures live or dynamically as you are doing it so that you don’t take a laptop or something unconnected with the biometric data, go and then come and dump it.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy Political Activist and physician
According to Dr. Arthur, this flawed process opens up opportunities for individuals or groups to exploit the system. He suggested that these procedural lapses are deliberate and serve the interests of those who gain from the inflated register. He noted; “That is what we keep doing, and I’m just saying that it will seem as if there are people who benefit from this.”
In addressing the EC’s role in managing the electoral register, Dr. Arthur acknowledged the commission’s desire to protect its work. However, he compared the situation to a student who requested a re-marking. He argued that an independent body should be responsible for reviewing the electoral register to ensure fairness and transparency.
“In fairness to the EC, I mean, it has an interest in protecting this work. It’s like, when you are a student and you go take an exam, and you say, ‘I want my script remarked. The same teacher who marked your script, and you have a problem with it says, I will remark it for you.”
Dr. Arthur Kennedy Political Activist and physician
Dr. Arthur further stressed that for the public to have confidence in the electoral process, an independent body should be tasked with reviewing the electoral register and overseeing the reforms. He reiterated; “I think it is the stress of everybody to have independent people look at this so that we can all have confidence in the results.”
Dr. Arthur insights into the recurring issues with Ghana’s electoral register offer a sobering reflection on the challenges facing the country’s electoral process. Dr. Arthur called for transparent legal reforms, the effective use of biometric measures, and independent oversight of the EC’s work are crucial steps toward ensuring a credible and accurate voter register. With powerful external forces and procedural errors contributing to the current bloated register, stakeholders must address these issues to restore public confidence in the electoral system.
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