Labour Union blames EC for voter registration problems

Accra, Aug. 11, GNA - The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) on Monday blamed the Electoral Commission (EC) for the confusion during the ongoing limited voters' registration exercise and the "consequent polarization" of the entire society.

The GFL said the timing and period for the registration determined by the EC was inappropriate and sought to undermine the electioneering process.

A statement issued by the GFL and signed by the Secretary General, Mr Abraham Koomsoon said the failure of the EC to exercise "reasonable diligence" by designating 2,500 workstations to cover the 5,000 electoral centres and the inadequate public education on the registration exercise was a recipe for chaos.

The GFL thus urged the EC to act "swiftly" to harmonize the system to restore the confidence of the people in the electoral process to forestall post-election conflict. The statement also expressed "grave concern" about the fate of Ghana Telecom (GT), wondering what the future held for the youth of the country regarding decent employment and job security. "We blame political leaders who have bleary vision and destructive mission whose decisions are disastrous for the economic development of this country." "With this development, do we believe in Ghana and ourselves and being capable of managing our own affairs?" The GFL appealed to Parliament not to allow partisan political interests "to cloud their judgment" and to resist the "temptation" of ratifying the sale agreement of GT. 11 Aug. 08