Ghana, a Card carrying Nation

One fine evening in Mbrah a “suburb” of Breman Asikuma, with the sun setting in the West from the direction of the boys school, I took my radio and sat in front of my mother in laws house.

On radio, as usual, there was a heated argument, between representatives of the two main political parties. It was about a supplementary budget that had been passed in parliament recently. A huge chunk of the supplementary budget, that is GH₵80 million ($52 million) would be required by and given to, the Electoral Commission, to undertake the registration and provision of Biometric Voter ID Cards to the citizens of the Republic of Ghana. I was both happy and sad by the news.

Happy because the Electoral Commission had won. Several years ago, the Electoral Commission had argued that it was in the best position to undertake the National ID Card project. Implicit in their argument was the proposal that the same biometric card would double as a National ID Card and a Voters Card. The Electoral Commission lost the argument and a separate National ID Authority was established to undertake the exercise. Needless to say, those of us in Breman Asikuma have not received our cards yet.

I was sad because, for reasons best known to our Politicians and technocrats, $52 million was going to be spent effectively DUPLICATING EFFORT. A similar amount if not more had been spent previously on setting up the National ID project.

“Good Evening ooooooh”. I looked up and saw Koo Krampah on his way back from his cocoa farm. I responded warmly and watched him walk away, tired and looking bedraggled. Millions of farmers like Krampah, all over Ghana, labored day in and day out, to nurture their farms until they harvested and dried their produce. It then dawned on me that the fruits of our hardworking farmers was what fueled and covered up the excesses and unwise duplication of effort in creating multiple cards for citizens of Ghana.

So by 2012, Ebo would have to carry 5 cards on his person at any point in time/.

1.       Drivers License

2.       National Health Insurance Card

3.       Biometric National ID Card

4.       Biometric Voters ID Card

5.       Mobile Phone Card

The tragedy of it all is that the information on all the above mentioned cards could have been consolidated onto one card. This is because the current generation of Smartcards are effectively mini computers with the capacity and ability to store significantly more information than all the aforementioned cards combined. Each card also has the ability to perform multiple functions  at the same time. So performing all the roles of the above cards would be a piece of cake for each Smartcard. And this information was common knowledge 10 years ago.  In certain IT circles abroad, executives must be laughing at the unnecessary duplication of effort we practice here in Ghana.

The way forward

Well for a start, the most competent organization in that respect, the Electoral Commission, has been awarded the contract to undertake the Biometric Voters ID. Steps must be taken to ensure that the technology and cards used:

·         are scaleable

·         can perform their assigned roles for the next 10 years

·         have the requisite capacity for the aforementioned time period and more

Once these are in place, the government must take the bold decision to consolidate at least the:

1.       National Health Insurance Card

2.       Biometric National ID Card

3.       Biometric Voters ID Card

into one card.

            

My Very First Poem

Some become your friends because you are cool

Some become your friends because it is useful

Others because you can be a tool

Some simply because you are a fool 

Quite a few are friends because of the money

Through you they seek the land of milk, sugar and honey

I’ve got friends who are always on my frequency

In my heart for them exists a permanent tenancy

I have some friends whose speciality it is to give

I have others who core competence is to receive

For the former I pray to be able to reciprocate

The latter always aggravate 

Some of my friends are there for what they can get

Others are there, in spite of the pain and hurt

I have a few friends, chock full of wisdom

To protect them I am willing to consider martyrdom 

In theory some people are your friends

In practice it's all pretence

Such friends you have to pray for wisdom

And run from their friendship to your freedom 

Some friendships were doomed from the onset

Others by their nature must be covert

Some friendships we covet

Yet others we stick to like a limpet 

I thought my best friends were the ones I had from childhood

But found out that best friends could also be made in adulthood

My friends on Facebook form my online neighbourhood

And warm my heart the way a real hood should 

I remember the friends who used to call every day

To speak at length until we had nothing to say

When they saw that things weren’t going my way

Off they went and now our friendship is in decay 

Some of my most cherished friends are full of advice

Most of them have a vice

Even though none of them is perfect

My affection towards them it does not affect 

So if you have a friend you care about

Turn to them and give them a shout

Let them know how much you appreciate

Their friendship others try to approximate

Inspired by and dedicated to, the Letterkenny Pirate and the Geneva Mafia :-)

Dear prisoner, welcome aboard the voting train.

The Supreme Court has spoken. And when the Supreme Court speaks, appeal matter no dey inside. It's that!!

These days it has become increasingly unfashionable and politically incorrect to assume a certain position when it comes to the issue of the rights of miscreants in society. But we, like the miscreants and their proponents, have rights and we will exercise the right of free speech and the right to express our opinions to make our opinions known.

I, Kobina Ebo, do not have a problem with prisoners voting per se. What I have a problem with, is the phenomenon creeping into our society from outside, where under the guise of protecting the rights of miscreants or suspected miscreants, the concept and severity of punishment for crimes committed is slowly being diluted. Note the emphasis please. That is the central theme of this note.

I am not privy to the reasons adduced by the Supreme Court in arriving at this landmark decision. But I am worried that this could serve as a catalyst for future court actions which might seek to add more "rights" to the existing rights of prisoners.

For example on the basis of this judgement, what prevents future court actions which would challenge why, irrespective of crime:

·         Prisoners shouldn't enjoy conjugal rights. If I can vote like the ordinary man on the street, why can't I shag my wife or girlfriend like the man on the street?

·         Prisoners shouldn't enjoy the right to form prison chapters of political parties and canvass/fight for votes

·         Prisoners shouldn't enjoy the right to unfettered Internet Access.

·         Prisoners shouldn't enjoy the right to possess mobile phones with which they can use to threaten their victims. After all they should have a right to communicate

·         Prisoners shouldn't enjoy the right to call Radio Stations to express their views. Cos after all, like serial callers, they have a lot of time on their hands

·         Prisoners shouldn't enjoy the right to run their businesses, legitimate and not so legit, from prison. After all they will be contributing to GDP and providing employment. And besides they would need a means of income for their families and for after their release from prison

·         Prisoners shouldn't be allowed to attend the funerals of loved ones or friends

·         Prisoners shouldn't be allowed to attend the speech and prize giving days of their offspring

On the surface, these seem ludicrous. But that is exactly how ludicrous the right of a prisoner to vote, seems to some dummkopfs like us.

Concept of punishment

To me, being sent to prison is meant to:

·         Punish the offender

·         Serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders

·         Maybe, if possible and if the prisoner is willing . . to reform him or her somewhat

Punishment

The Bible says spare the rod and spoil the child. Punishment is difficult and painful for both the administerer and recipient/beneficiary. But punishment is necessary to drive home the point that the offender, offended. Amongst other rights withdrawn, the withdrawal of the right to free movement is one of the forms of punishments. That's why prisoners are in prisons.

Deterrent

The concept of Prison is meant to deter other potential offenders from offending. I, the OldManChild will do anything to avoid prison because I don't want to lose my posterior virginity. Likewise other offenders for other reasons, might be dissuaded from offending. As soon as prison becomes less of a deterrent, we begin to lose the deterrent effect of imprisonment. If a potential offender knows that after all he can vote in prison, then prison won't be much different from the regular hustle of life.

Prisoners as an influential minority

It might be far fetched but in the future I see a situation where prisoners become a vocal minority and politicians will have no alternative but to skew policy to cater for the whims and desires of prisoners. Politicians will take their campaigning into prison yards. And just like we have violence between supporters of the major parties outside prisons, violence can erupt between prisoners who belong to opposing political parties.

Hanging and lashing in Singapore

It is not by being sissies, squeamish and weak tummied that Singapore has the enviable reputation as one of the safest places on earth. For some weird reason, we in Ghana have chosen Singapore as our inspiration in achieving progress and a harmonious society. But developmentally, Singapore got to where it currently is, by making it's citizens aware that once you were a law abiding citizen, life would be heaven for you. But if you chose to break the law, the law would make life hell or non existent for you the offender.

In Singapore, if you like, chew gum and spit it out or litter the sidewalk with your sachet water pack. Irrespective of age or societal status, you will be lashed like how people were traumatically lashed during the tumultuous events of June 4th 1979.

Do the following in Singapore and you will hang by the neck until you soil yourself and are stone dead:

·         Unlawfully discharge firearms

·         Kidnapping

·         Drug trafficking

·         Robbery committed by five or more people that results in the death of a person

amongst others.

Conclusion

Prison is meant to reform the offender at best and at worst keep the offender away from society until such a time that he or she, on his return to society would have learnt a hard lesson that offending is not worth the hassle of prison.To me anything which might trigger or serve as a catalyst for the eventual reduction of the deterrent aspect of Prison is a source of worry.

A safe, ordered and progressive society is one in which every citizen is aware that along with his freedoms and rights, come responsibilities. When one shirks his responsibilities or trespasses on the rights of others, he must be punished severely. And the severity of punishment must be maintained for it to serve it's purpose as a deterrent. At the current rate of "liberalization” of Ghanaian society, our children will not have the luxury or right to smack their children. They will then become as unruly, disrespectful and sometimes as murderous as British teenagers. God help us then.

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana!!