News:
Samuel Narttey George
October 6, 2021
The Minority in Parliament is demanding the inclusion of other national identity cards as pre-requisites in the ongoing SIM card registration.
Government under the supervision of the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation has ordered a re-registration of all SIM cards as part of moves to dealing with digital fraud. As a requirement, one is demanded to present a Ghana card as a pre-requisite for registration.
Speaking at a press conference held by the minority caucus on the communication committee, the MP for Ningo Prampram who is the ranking member on the committee, Samuel Narttey George kicked against the move to limit the registration to only the Ghana card.
According to the deputy minority spokesperson on the committee, the Legislative Instrument 211 clause 1, does not limit such exercises only to the Ghana card but other national ID cards.
The Minority described the move to disconnect all persons who fail to register their SIM cards by March next year, with the Ghana card as an affront to the rights of the citizen.
They proposed for four more IDs to be added to make the process a robust one including the withdrawal of threat to disconnect all SIM cards that would fail to register by next year and scrapping off the physical visit to offices of the NIA office for registration purposes.
“The Minority supports the SIM registration exercise which would curb fraud, but we should not use only Ghana card, all we are asking is that passport, driver’s licenses and voters ID should be added to the national identification cards, the Supreme Court has ruled that the voters ID shows you are a Ghanaian”.
Again, he pointed out that the point the Minority is making is to ensure that an exercise is carried out that can stand the test of time and they have met with the sector minister to point out their grievances and hope they would listen to them.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com