The Electoral Commission (EC) has drawn up a special budget for Investment and Service outside this year's estimates in view of next year's Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
It is also to employ about forty-four thousand registration assistants for next year's general elections.
This was contained in the Report of the Special Budget Committee on the 2003 budget estimates of the EC and presented to Parliament on Monday in a Motion for approval of the Commission's budget estimates for the year.
Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, Member of the Committee in presenting the Report recommended to the House to adopt and approve the amount of 32, 816.2 million cedis (Thirty-two Billion, eight-hundred and sixteen million and two-hundred cedis).
The Report said the technical team from the EC informed the Committee that the Commission was not well resourced enough to carry out its constitutional responsibilities, it faces problems of inadequate and very old vehicles and lack of qualified personnel among others.
The Committee was informed that the constitution enjoins the Commission to replace voter register every ten years but due to financial constraints, this may not be possible and against this background, the Committee drew the attention of the Ministry of Finance to the important nature of the programs and ask that adequate funds should be made available to the Commission.
Mr Aidoo said the Committee also noted that out of 100 billion cedis requested by the Commission for its operations for the year and preparations for the coming general elections, only 32 billion cedis was approved by the Ministry of finance.
Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in moving for the Motion for approval of the estimates said the budget allocation do not include replacement of voter' register, demarcation and the forthcoming general elections and explained that a special appropriation bill would be made for the elections.
Contributing to the Motion, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, NDC- Kumbungu said the Report has not captured the preparations for the constituency and boundary demarcations as well as the issue of national identity cards.
In another development, the Select Committee on the 2003 Budget estimates of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) recommended that the House approve the sum of 26,269.0 (Twenty-six billion, two-hundred and sixty-nine million cedis) for the organisation during the 2003 financial year.
The Committee observed that the amount approved for last year for the Commission was inadequate and due to this, the intended targets were not achieved it, therefore, said for the NCCE to perform its constitutional functions effectively, adequate funds should be provided to it.
The Committee further observed that this year, the estimates for investments was not adequate and pleaded with the Ministry of Finance that subsequent estimates should make adequate provision for it.
The Committee was of the view that to increase and sustain the interest and participation of all Ghanaians in the new democratic and constitutional dispensation for the achievement of good governance, social and political stability, the Commission must be adequately resourced.
Alhaji Issah Seidu Abah, NDC-Chereponi said there was no actual work done by staff of the NCCE in the districts and most at times they are made to propagate only party issues and not national issues since they depend so much on the goodwill of the District Chief Executives (DCEs).
Mr Jose Gidisu, NDC-North Tongu said there was the need for the District assemblies to give institutional support to the staff of the NCCE to enable them to undertake their functions of public education in a non-partisan way.
Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, NDC- Kumbungu said there was the need for the country to be well focused and to avoid duplication to achieve value for money instead of paying lip service to programmes.
He said the Vice President's Initiative on Indiscipline could have been properly handled if it had been channelled through the NCCE, which have the legal authority to lead the crusade on indiscipline.
