NPP activist says biometric voting system should be delayed

Sunyani, Oct. 3, GNA - A New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist in Sunya= ni on Monday appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) not to rush to implemen= t the biometric voting system.

Mr. Frank Opoku Adjapong, a businessman, told the GNA in an interview that the EC should find lasting solutions to concerns raised regarding the new system of voting.

He said though Ghana had chalked remarkable gains on the political landscape and it would be appropriate for the EC to overcome these challenges while keeping in mind the national interest that must override personal or partisan interests. Mr. Adjapong said if the EC failed to address issues raised by some political parties on biometric registration and voting processes it would pose a serious threat to Ghana's fledgling democracy. He suggested that the EC could implement the system at the District Assembly election level to access its strengths and weaknesses. Mr Adjapong said countries like Germany and the United States where th= e biometric voting is being implemented still face challenges including electoral fraud.

He said since majority of Ghanaians are illiterate the country had a long way to go in the implementation of the new system.

Mr. Adjapong called for a national debate and education on the biometric voting process to help avoid electoral malpractices. He said education on the system had not gone down well with majority o= f Ghanaians, particularly those in deprived communities, who should also be given the opportunity to exercise their voting rights. Mr. Adjapong said the government and for that matter the EC would be doing a disservice to the electorate at the grassroots if they should implement the exercise next year since the people were not conversant with the biometric voting. On the 2012 electioneering campaign, the NPP activist advised especially the youth not to allow politicians to use them to foment troubles.

Mr. Adjapong condemned the trading of insults on the airwaves and appealed to owners of radio stations to monitor activities of their station= s and bring the situation under control. He said the manner political parties would conduct their campaigns would determine how peaceful next year's election would be and appealed t= o party leaders to educate their supporters to tolerate each other's views. "If we all bury our parochial interests and allow the EC to perform its national duties openly without any unnecessary interference from political angles, the 2012 general election would be peaceful", Mr. Adjapong said.