High turnout at biometric registration center in Suame

There was high turnout at most biometric registration centres in the Suame Constituency on the first day of the exercise.

Long queues had been formed hours to the official start of the registration.

The exercise got underway exactly when the clock struck 0700 hours unlike other parts of the Ashanti Region where technical glitches and late arrival of materials delayed the exercise.

At the Kronum/Abuohia M/A Primary Centre, 34 applicants had already been issued with their Voter Identification (ID) Cards when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited at about 1000 hours. An equal number of people had also been registered at the Kronum Saint John of the Cross Roman Catholic ‘B” Primary.

Mr Michael Anane Frimpong and Mr Emmanuel Asumang, both Registration Officers, said they did not anticipate any problems and that the exercise is being carried out in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere and gave high marks to the people for their comportment.

At the Asuoyeboah SSNIT Flat Block Three under the I.P.T Cluster, the data clerks and other supporting staff as well as their supervisors were at post as early as 0600 hours but their machines could not function despite attempts by technicians to fix them.

Not a single person in the long queue had been registered as of the time of filing this report.

Ms Peace Christiana Afrifa, an applicant, could not hide her frustration and told the GNA that ‘’the situation is very bad when one has to forgo her tight Saturday schedule for such an important exercise only to be met with such a situation.”

Mr Obodum Appiah-Kubi, Supervisor of the Centre, however, gave the assurance a new machine would be provided to replace the defective one to enable the exercise to take-off as soon as possible.

The scenario was different at the Kwadaso M/A Primary where registration was going on smoothly, though it started at 0800 hours, one hour behind schedule.

Mr Michael Kankam-Boadu, a Data Clerk told the GNA that 35 people had so far been registered out of the targeted 60 for the day.

At Dadiesoaba YF, Asafo Upper and Lower Zion Centres in the Subin Constituency, the people complained to the GNA that the process was too slow.

Meanwhile, a group of data clerks have appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to review the stipend of work hands engaged in the on-going biometric registration exercise.

Making the appeal through the GNA, the group, who pleaded anonymity, argued that the current payment arrangement was unfair.

They said, they are doing the core job of collecting baseline information, finger prints and other things but surprisingly are being given just GH¢65.00 compared GH¢80.00 and GH¢70.00 paid to returning officers doing just supervisory work and special duty officers who only run simple errands.

“This would lower our morale since we believe we are doing the bulk of the job. We must either be given the same or something higher,” they added.**