AFAG WARNS EC ON ITS ACTIONS TOWARDS ELECTION 2012

The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has noticed with disquiet the attitude and posture of the Electoral Commission in relation to the proposed Biometric registration and its processes as far as the 2012 elections are concerned.

Five successful elections to the credit of the Electoral Commission under the 4th Republican constitution is not sufficient evidence enough, to talk of a trouble and violent free 2012 elections. Indeed considering the EC’s own 2008 post election report, and that of the Commonwealth Observer team, circumspection must be the watchword for all the actors and factors who matters in the electoral processes.

Lessons must be drawn from the recent organized district assembly elections which attracted a wider public condemnation for its poor organization, ever in the history of the fourth republic. This strongly indicates how fallible the electoral commission can be, and must eschew complacency and action ‘otherwise’

AFAG is wary of the consequences of the EC’s action as any flaws in the new biometric system can lead to a poisoned Ghanaian society, otherwise intact.

AFAG is using this platform to caution the EC, and would not hesitate to use mass action towards the EC in order to drive home its quest for a sound electoral process for the 2012 election.

AFAG also entreats the EC in its bid to ensure transparency in the electoral process to invite civil society as observers at their IPAC meeting.

We wish to add our voice to the call for a verifiable biometric processes and the registration. This, AFAG believe s has three major causes that will result in one outstanding effect namely: Register once; Vote once; Get Counted once; RESULTS ACCEPTABLE TO ALL.  Anything short of this has the potential of creating some discord.

In the same vein, we urge all the political parties to cooperate on all the electoral processes, asking the legislature to expedite the promulgation of all legislations which will support the establishment and operationalization of this new electoral process.

As of now, AFAG has unanswered questions which not addressed would be detrimental to the sanctity of the biometric registration data and its acceptance/rejection by the various interested parties in relation to the award of contract to STL/HSB/Genkey consortium. 

They are;

·  The Company, STL, did not apply in the call for expression of interest. (I.e. they were not part of the 47 companies that sent their bids for the process) They came in only after the short listing of 5 companies. The addition of STL and its allies required an addendum from the EC but this was not done. Again, the expression of Interest (EoI) requirements was for companies with “Similar Assignments within the last five(5) years (Experience in a country with similar conditions to that in Ghana will be an added advantage)” but STL (& partners) have NO experience in biometric voter registration in Ghana or in any other country for that matter.   

·  We have every reason to doubt the capacity of STL, the leading consortium of 3 companies to deliver because; None of STL partners have been involved in National Biometric voter registration. Their partner, HSB involvement in biometric registration has been in European consular/embassy offices, so with a very limited capacity and jurisdiction.  

·  STL experience in Health Insurance registration CANNOT be a yardstick for the award of Biometric registration contract. Health Insurance registration is voluntary, not time-bound, cards are not generated immediately and therefore systems are not under any standards of uptime. However, in the case of voter registration, the process is time-bound, with targets for number of registrations and therefore significantly high equipment uptime. 

·  NO NIST Certification – NIST (National Institute of Standard and Technology is a federal technology agency/USA) is the highest certification possible for AFIS systems: Independent certification of professionals and technical services demonstrates that the professed capacity is above board and unassailable in efficiency.

a. STL claim that its partners are NIST-certified, so they are in the capacity to deliver the AFIS, which has proven to be utterly false. Please verify for yourself at (http://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/ig/ominex_qpl.cfm)

b.         STL’s Suprema fingerprint readers are certified, but this is meaningless if their AFIS provided by Genkey is not certified. What use is a robust fingerprint reader if there is no strong AFIS backend to identify fingerprint template de-duplication?

Per the procurement rules, when a company provides information and it is later found to be false, the contract shall be withdrawn. We in AFAG are calling for a review of the contract awarded to STL and its partners because there appears to be substantial doubt about Genkey’s claim to be a certified provider of AFIS systems.

5. POTENTIAL FALLOUT FROM USA LEGAL CASE - Suprema is currently under investigation for patent infringement of CrossMatch’s technology.  (http://www.crossmatch.com/news/Cross-Match-Technologies-Files-Suit.php) Though the outcome of the legal action is unknown, we cannot disregard the action and inactions of the contested parties In relation to the success of Biometric pathway chosen and the repercussion thereof.

The EC has a responsibility to invite all the political parties and civil society groups to a forum that would explain in detail how the contract was awarded. We are aware of some technical inconsistencies raised about this consortium and believe this influenced the setting up of the technical committee.

Lastly, it is our believe and conviction that there would be a regular IPAC meetings as possible. The situation where the EC meets political parties individually is unacceptable, provocative and gives room for suspicion which does not augur well for consensus building.

It is our fervent view that the electoral Commission should listen to the political parties and other civil societies who are committed to ensuring a free and fair election for 2012.

Ghana belongs to all of us, and it is ‘your’ responsibility as citizens irrespective of your capacity to see to a society whose core values hinges on true freedom and justice. We are hereby calling on all Ghanaians to join AFAG’s “Register once; Vote once; Get Counted once” campaign, which seeks to gather over 1000 signatures to protest against the EC’s seemingly ‘stubborn’ posture, that has the tendency of sending Ghana into state of chaos. 

God bless Ghana and God bless all of us.

Thank you.

Signed:

Davis Opoku Ansah                           0244861593

Abu Ramadan                                    0244570006

Kwabena Bomfeh (Kabila)                 0244535472

Arnold Boateng                                  0244294754

Bright Acheampong                           0276374763

Henry Asante                                     0248274646

AFAG is Pro Democracy civil group in Ghana. It has advanced many programs aimed at holding government accountable to its promises to the citizenry.  The Promotion of active citizenship has been the preoccupation of the Group. Our grassroots engagement, research into challenges and provision of alternative Policies, has helped shape policies and Programs in Ghana.