Ghana Card: Minority, NDC concerns “legitimate” – Rawlings
Former President Jerry John Rawlings, has, through a statement issued by his office, signed by Mr Kobina Andoh Amoakwa, Communications Directorate, said “many” of the concerns expressed by the Minority in parliament and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as far as registration for the Ghana Card is concerned, are “legitimate”, and urged the National Identification Authority (NIA), to “re-examine” those issues.
According to the statement, Mr Rawlings, who got registered for the card on Tuesday, 26 June, despite his party’s boycott of the process over the cost involved as well as the refusal by the NIA to use voter IDs as one of the base documents needed for the registration, “urges all stakeholders, especially the National Identification Authority, and both the Minority and Majority caucuses in Parliament, to deliberate dispassionately on the concerns, many of which are legitimate, in a bid to bring sanity into our democratic process and ensure that all eligible Ghanaians benefit from the process”.
Mr Rawlings’ office also used the statement to dispel claims that allowing himself to be registered for the card amounted to call on members of his party to disregard the stance of the leadership of the NDC as well as the Minority, on the matter.
“The attention of the office of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings has been drawn to publications in sections of the media and on social media platforms insinuating that his decision to register for the National Identity card was a call to members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to disregard the position taken by the party and the minority in Parliament.
“The office wishes to state that it is spurious to suggest that former President Rawlings made a call against the minority or the party.
“The principle of Ghana having a valid Identity Card System is what the former President is committed to, and he respects positions taken to ensure that the process is transparent and easily accessible to all”, the statement said.
Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com
