Dear Editor,

I support Dr Roger Luncheon’s view that GECOM must “come clean” about the reason for their rejection of identity documents, principally previously issued national identification (ID) cards.

GECOM recently issued a press release boasting about how successful its house-to-house registration is going on.

A few days ago registrars came to my home to register me and my family and rejected all the legal documents in my possession:

(a) My current ID which I used to vote at the last general elections and which I am using for all transactions viz- bank, insurance, money transfer, etc.

(b) A photo copy of my original birth certificate.

(c) My passport which became invalid in December 2007.

Result: I could not be registered.

I am asking the same question posed by Dr Luncheon: Why is the existing national ID card used as a valid basis for identification in conducting all transactions is not being accepted for the purpose of the current exercise?

This is going to disenfranchise thousands of legitimate voters because by the time they can get an “original” birth certificate and a new passport, house-to-house registration would be over.

Yours faithfully,

(name and address supplied)