Accra: The Minority Caucus in Parliament walked out on Wednesday, July 15, in protest against First Deputy Speaker Benard Ahiafor. The Caucus accused him of employing parliamentary rules to hinder oversight on the planned SIM re-registration exercise.
According to Ghana News Agency, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin raised a supplementary question to Samuel Nartey George, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations. He inquired about the cost implications of the new SIM re-registration to the government. Afenyo-Markin argued that a similar exercise had already been conducted by the previous administration, and he sought clarification on the cost to the government and statistics on unverified identities.
In response, the Minister explained that the earlier registration had faced challenges, including unverifiable biometrics, which allowed stolen and unverified identities to be used for SIM registration. He emphasized that the new exercise would be conducted at no cost to the citizenry.
Presiding over the session, Mr. Ahiafor directed the Minority Leader to file a fresh question, citing parliamentary rules. Mr. Afenyo-Markin, however, insisted that Standing Order 89 (1) allowed supplementary questions once a Minister had responded, especially when the Minister indicated that the exercise would be cost-free for citizens.
Earlier, Duke William Allen Kwame Amoako-Atta Ofori-Atta, MP for Fanteakwa South, questioned the necessity of a new biometric SIM registration. The Minister responded that the existing SIM registration platform could not adequately support the enhanced requirements for real-time biometric verification.
The incident highlighted the growing tensions between the Minority and the leadership of the House over parliamentary oversight. While the Ministry maintained that a new biometric system was essential to curb identity fraud, the Minority insisted that Parliament's right to scrutinize government policy should not be restricted.