The Ministry of Communication (MOC) has been advised to exercise a great deal of circumspection in the SIM card re-registration saga as the consequences of the ongoing exercise have far-reaching implications on the fundamental human rights and freedoms of Ghanaians.
The Ministry is warned the current path it is traversing will not only threaten the constitutional and legal freedom of right to privacy of many citizens to pursue decent livelihoods but could lead to many legal challenges and further and unduly prolong the exercise.
The Minority caucus on the Communications Committee noted the denial of the right to make calls and even interference in receiving calls through unsolicited messaging systems are unfair, unjust and an unwarranted breach of the rights of expression and to own and enjoy a property.
Ranking member of the Committee, Hon. ABA Fuseini who addressed the media on Friday 9th September, 2022 decried the fact that the Communications Ministry, which has no influence on the issuance of the Ghana card will designate the same as the sole identity document for the purpose of the sim re-registration exercise.
He said, “The NIA also outlined serious financial challenges that contribute to delays in the issuance of the Ghana card.”
“The NIA, including its briefing on the floor of Parliament to members, has made it abundantly clear that it does not work at the behest of any institution nor does it carry out its work of issuing Ghana cards with the deadline of any institution in mind.”
“How can the MOC, which does not control the issuance of the Ghana card, go ahead to institute a deadline for re-registration anchored on the same card it has absolutely no control over,” he queried.
The NIA has indicated because of funding challenges, it is unable to open branches of its offices across all districts of the country.
Mr. Fuseini insists this means millions of people in these mostly rural cannot have reasonable access to the card and owing largely to logistics and other constraints, the NIA has not been able to print and distribute cards to those who have even patronised their services, some dating as far back as 2019.
Deputy Ranking Member, Mr. Sam George, remarked that given that millions of those who do not currently have the card have done their part to secure it without success, the Ministry has no valid reason or justification to impose punitive measures on them as is being meted out now.
“We call on the NCA through the ministry, to immediately cancel the sanctions imposed and enforced on those who have not, as yet registered their Sims.”
“We further call on the government to provide the requisite level of funding to the NIA to enable it to open more offices, recruit more staff and purchase more materials and equipment needed to accelerate the tempo of the registration exercise.”
He charged the MOC to exhibit greater flexibility and realism with the current deadlines it set by pushing the timeframe to the end of the year in the face of the challenges.
Source: Mypublisher24.com
