We will not buy "confusion" for Ghana's electoral system-Asiedu Nketia
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says any attempt to get a verification machine for the 2012 general elections will almost be tantamount to “buying confusion” into the electoral system.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, the party’s general secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said there is no need for the country to spend any money, however little, to buy trouble for Ghana’s electoral system.
“...we have seen that the problem with manual verification is not about its efficacy. It is about the use of 'macho' people to drive people away and deny them the opportunity of performing their duties under the manual verification. Why should we abandon the manual verification, going for some electronics when we have been told that no such equipment has 100 per cent efficacy rate. What are we going to look for? Are we going to buy confusion into our electoral system?”
He said he is not convinced that a biometric verification system is a necessity in the upcoming 2012 general elections.
Rather, he believes that the system might be a recipe for confusion during the elections, asserting it would be prudent to channel resources, however little, into other electoral challenges.
Agreeing in part with the Electoral Commission (EC) that the calls were ignorant opinions, Johnson Asiedu Nketia argued that the country must rather reinforce its polling station security during the elections than invest into a biometric verification.
He also took a swipe at the Catholic Bishops who are insisting for the EC to verify its electronic registration process saying that their statements were “amusing and pregnant with contradictions.”
“It was amusing to listen to the contradictions in the communiqué of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Whilst in the electoral system you are advocating for more application of new technology, then in the Computer Selection System you are also advocating for us going back for the manual. So which is which? Do they want a situation where we will go into the next elections, mess it up for them to hold another Bishops Conference calling on the government to revert to the manual verification. Is that what they want to tell us?” he asked.
He said because of the "level of development and infrastructure" the biometric verification system has never been used in any elections in Africa, opting for the use of manual verification which he said has been proven and tested.
Accra, May 22, 2012
The Supreme Court has thrown out the case of conflict of interest brought against New Patriotic Chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey by... 
May 22, 2012
A third of malaria drugs used around the world to stem the spread of the disease are counterfeit.
Researchers who looked at 1,500 sampl... 
Accra, May 22, 2012
Suicide cases in Ghana are on the rise and according to statistics from the Network for Anti-suicide and Crisis Prevention, five ... 