The underlying true incident that took place recently at the Ghana Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, must become public knowledge, hotly discussed or debated. It was reported to me by the victim himself in the hope that it will be revealed on the internet and in the media for all Ghanaians worldwide to know.
The revelation of the incident is without malice, but to help avoid its recurrence or perpetuation. Not long ago, a Ghanaian who has had his Ghanaian passport stolen went to the Ghana Embassy in Brussels. Prior to visiting the Consular section for a replacement passport, he had checked the requirements on the internet.
He went with a police report, an endorsed affidavit sworn to losing the passport, the legal fee to pay, passport photos, filled out passport application form etc. With all these relevant documents and items in hand, he was refused a replacement passport. When he had presented all the above mentioned particulars, the Embassy staff receiving him asked, “Which region do you come from in Ghana?” He (the person seeking the passport) said, Ashanti region. The Embassy staff further inquired, “What tribe are you? He responded, “Ashanti”.
The Embassy staff then asked, “Where is your biometric voter’s registration card?” He answered, “I haven’t got any because I was not in Ghana when they introduced the cards”. Then the Embassy staff said, “Without providing your voter’s registration card, I am afraid I cannot help you”.
The victim (person seeking the passport) said it was not among the requirements as shown on the internet. All his insistence to let the Embassy staff understand that he was behaving unlawfully by seeking to implement his own laws proved futile. In the end, he requested to know the name of the staff member in question but he refused to give his name to him.
I should like to inform the Ghana Ambassador in Belgium of what is prevailing in his embassy or to be more precise, consulate. Is he aware of it or is it a requirement? Should it be a requirement, why is it not among the other requirements as appeared on the internet? Is it the staff member’s own decision to ask for that document and if yes, why? Have some Ghanaians abroad obtained biometric voter’s card via the embassies and if yes, when, why and how?
Is it also necessary to inquire about which region and tribe a person demanding for a passport belongs in? Knowing that there is an established positive or otherwise, discrimination against certain tribe members in Ghana under the current government, is there the need for knowing where one comes from before rendering him/her official services?
I will arrange to have the name of the person and then publish it on the internet and in the other social media. I want to know for what reason he requested the biometric voter’s card knowing it was not an official requirement since it did not figure among the others as stated.
I will be happy to see the Ghana Ambassador in Belgium respond to this publication as I shall arrange the victim to come back to the Embassy. I shall not sit by when rogues make their own laws simply because in Ghana, the selected few in power commit crimes with impunity. That practice of selective justice, nepotism, tribalism etc. must stop.
