Minister calls for decentralisation in issuing ID cards

Begoro (E/R), May 15, GNA -- Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister has called for the decentralisation of the issuing of voters identity cards from the district capitals to the constituencies and areas close to the electorate.

He explained that this was necessary to enable as many people as possible who have lost their ID cards through various means to have them replaced before the elections.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, who is also Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa made the call after a tour of registrations centres in his constituency at Begoro at the weekend. He said his tour has shown a low turn out of people to either register or check their names, especially those in the rural areas.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said his interaction with some of the villagers indicated that most of them were not properly educated or informed about the exercise, while some people were just reluctant to go and check their names in the register.

He said with the current arrangements, if the issue of the voters ID cards would be strictly enforced, most people in the rural communities would be disfranchised because many of them have lost their voters ID cards through floods, bushfires and mere negligence.

The Deputy Minister said, such people would not be willing to pay money to travel to their district capitals to have their ID cares replaced should the replacement of voter ID cards be made only in the district capitals.