Photo:
Vehicle
with
siren
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The
Member
of
Parliament
for
Sagnarigu,
Alhassan
Bashir
Alhassan
Fuseini,
says
the
proposed
amendments
to
the
Road
Traffic
Regulations,
2012
are
needless
and
will
be
rejected.
According
to
him,
the
privileges
outlined
in
the
new
legislative
instrument
are
“absolutely
unnecessary.”
“Anybody
who
has
the
sense
of
the
mood
of
this
country
would
be
the
last
to
be
talking
about
cutting
exclusive
areas
for
those
of
us
who
are
political
actors.
What
do
I
need
a
siren
for?
To
go
where?
Where
are
you
in
a
hurry
to
go?”
“I
think
that,
look,
we
should
be
very
sensitive
to
the
interests
and
aspirations
of
our
people
and
to
be
sensitive
to
where
the
country
is
today,”
A.B.A.
Fuseini
told
TV3
on
Monday,
July
15,
2024.
There
is
a
growing
public
outrage
over
the
proposed
law
that
seeks
to
amend
portions
of
the
Road
Traffic
Regulations,
2012.
When
passed,
the
law
will
allow
Members
of
Parliament,
ministers
of
state
and
other
officials
use
siren
and
also
exempt
them
from
prescribed
speed
limits.
Fuseini
But
the
Sagnarigu
MP
insists
the
proposal
is
not
the
right
direction.
“I
can
tell
you
without
an
iota
of
doubt
that
if
this
thing
comes
to
the
floor
of
Parliament,
a
lot
of
us
are
going
to
oppose
it,
because
it’s
not
in
the
interest
of
the
country
and
it
is
not
even
in
the
interest
of
us
as
political
actors.”
“It
is
not
in
our
interest,
and
I
think
we
should
decipher
and
understand
the
mood
of
the
country
and
go
along,”
he
further
noted.
The
Kenyan
example
The
MP
likened
the
current
situation
in
the
country
to
the
recent
deadly
protest
in
Kenya.
He
expressed
fear
of
a
likely
protest
in
Ghana
should
this
law
be
allowed
to
pass,
“because
when
you
push
the
people
to
the
brink
and
they
have
nowhere
else
to
go,
they
will
turn
back
on
you.”
“I’ve
been
warning
and
serving
notice
to
our
fellow
political
actors
that
if
we
are
not
careful,
the
scenario
that
was
enacted
in
Kenya
will
be
worse
here,”
he
stated.
Government
justification
Despite
the
raging
debates
on
the
issue,
the
Member
of
Parliament
for
Asante
Akyem
North,
Andy
Kwame
Appiah-Kubi,
has
defended
the
new
Legislative
Instrument
(L.I.)
seeking
to
allow
key
government
officials
use
sirens
and
speed
at
any
limit.
Mr
Appiah-Kubi
says
the
work
of
legislators,
ministers
and
judges
are
time
bound
and
must
be
carried
out
early
enough
to
meet
national
demands.
He
was
reacting
to
concerns
raised
about
proposed
amendments
to
Regulation
74
of
L.I.
2180
which
will
now
permit
the
fitting
of
sirens
on
specific
classes
of
vehicles,
including
those
owned
by
justices
of
the
Supreme
Court,
Members
of
Parliament
and
Ministers
of
State.
According
to
him,
there
must
be
a
way
to
reduce
the
stress
of
such
officials
who
endure
long
hours
in
traffic
on
a
daily
basis.
“I
know
the
schedule
of
work
that
ministers
go
through
and
how
they
postpone
meetings
outside
ministries
trying
to
finish
their
regular
job
in
office
and
be
confronted
with
limited
time
to
reach
the
next
destination
for
the
next
official
duty.”
“You
subject
such
people
to
the
conditions
of
traffic
on
the
road.
Such
people
cannot
meet
the
deadline
and
therefore
it
is
imperative
for
us
to
give
some
access
to
them
to
be
able
to
meet
the
deadline,”
he
told
TV3
in
an
interview
on
Monday,
July
15,
in
Parliament.
The
Bureau
of
Public
Safety
(BPS)
has
demanded
that
the
Minister
of
Transport,
Kwaku
Ofori
Asiamah,
immediately
withdraws
the
Bill
on
speed
limit
exemptions
for
Members
of
Parliament
and
Ministers.
BPS
has
also
expressed
concern
over
the
amendments
made
to
the
Road
Regulations
Act
LI
2180,
which
was
subsequently
laid
before
Parliament.