Regional News of Friday, 30 April 2004

Source: GNA

Registration Review Committees urged to be impartial

Half Assini (W/R), April 30, GNA - Mr. Thomas T. Quarm, an electoral supervisor in the just ended voter registration exercise has appealed to members of the Registration Review Committees (RRCs) to be impartial, objective and firm in handling complaints brought before them.

He said all complaints should be investigated thoroughly, and any unfair and unsubstantiated allegations should not be entertained. Mr. Quarm, who is also the Jomoro District Director of the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education gave the advise at the inauguration of a nine-member District Registration Review Committee at Half Assini on Tuesday.

He said any foreigner found to have participated in the exercise should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

The committee is made up of Mr. Kaku Ackah, District Director of Education as Chairman, Mr. James W. K. Kwaw, District Electoral Officer, Secretary, Mr. Perfect E. K. Okpattah, District Police Commander and Mr. Yaw Donkor, National Security Coordinator.

Others include Mr. Sylvester Dadieh of the NDC, Mr. Tanoe A. Bekunludwo, CPP, Mr. John M. Whajah NPP and Mr. Benjamin Amenfi (Jnr.) CHRAJ.

Mr Kwaw announced that out of the 61,412 registered voters in the district, two complaints were recorded. One at the Jaway Wharf and the other at New Town Wharf.

He said the confrontations were in respect of Abdul Karim of Jaway, who claimed that he was in Ghana before 1957 and had obtained the previous voters' identity cards and participated in all elections since 1992. Mr. Kwaw said Nii Kortey Armah of New Town claimed that he was born in La Cote d'Ivoire and had his education there but his Ghanaian father died and was buried in Benin.

He said the committee would begin sitting on May 4.