Tema, June 25, GNA -- A leading member of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, has proposed that the intended issue of Ghanaians resident abroad being given the chance to vote during elections should be subjected to public debate and probably a referendum for Ghanaians to decide on it. She said it is a thorny issue and there was the need for Ghanaians to analyse and scrutinise it at debates to determine its relevance before a decision on it is taken.

Mrs Benyiwa-Doe, a former NDC Member of Parliament for Gomoa East raised these concerns at a day's forum organised by the CJA in Tema on Thursday as a prelude to a "Wahala" March to be held in Tema soon. According to her those outside, even though citizens of this country cannot impose leaders on Ghanaians because they cannot tell who could be the right choice for the country. She said there are so many unanswered questions like the right to contest elections even if allowed to vote and as to whether they honour their tax obligation because "there is no representation that says you have a right but have no obligation." She considered the move as an attempt by the New Patriotic Party Government's to manoueuvre to rig the elections in 2008. "They want to entrench themselves and find whatever ways to get people to vote for them to win the next elections", she said.

The Editor of the Insight News Paper, who is also a member of the CJA, Mr Kwasi Pratt Jnr, debunked the notion by some Ghanaians that the CJA is made up of members of opposition parties whose activities tend to oppose government policies. The CJA, he said, comprises members of the opposition parties, the ruling NPP government parties as well as non-partisan members whose aim is to work to put the government on its toes. He commended Ghanaian workers, especially the Tema District Council of Labour for their fight in ensuring that the voices of workers are heard by the government.

A former leading member of the NPP, Dr Omane Boamah said the NPP governance has brought untold hardships to Ghanaians in contravention of its promises. Pertinent issues that featured were the socio-economic condition, the recently announced debt cancellation, high school fees, National Health Insurance Scheme and the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme.