TIG Post

Tag: sirens

  • I had to use a motorbike” – A Plus shares experience, explains why MPs need sirens

    I had to use a motorbike” – A Plus shares experience, explains why MPs need sirens

    Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A Plus, the Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, has shared that his personal experience has helped him understand why MPs need sirens to navigate through traffic.

    A Plus admitted that he had previously opposed the idea of MPs being granted the legal right to use sirens. However, after spending just a few days in office, his perspective has changed.

    “It is not an easy task at all. Today, for instance, I was with the President in my constituency. The Ahmadiyya Muslim community had their annual convention.

    You know it’s in my constituency; that’s where they have it—in Gomoa Pomadze. I had to be at the convention and in Parliament at the same time.

    “I remember that before I entered Parliament, I was complaining about MPs and why they wanted sirens. I called my friend, who is a dispatch rider. I said, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I am at my place.’

    I said, ‘Please, I need you to take me out of this traffic and get me to the constituency now and bring me back to Parliament,’” A Plus stated during an interview on Joy FM.

    He explained that his experience has helped him realize why lawmakers have been pushing for permission to use sirens.

    He highlighted the difficulties they face in fulfilling their responsibilities while trying to avoid heavy traffic.

    “So I came to understand why they were… and can you imagine someone whose constituency is in, say, Paga, and you have to go there with the President and then come back to Parliament?

    I think that I am in a position to explain what happens in Parliament and what parliamentarians go through very well to the public,” he added.

  • New Traffic Law bars Speaker, Chief Justice from using sirens on the road

    New Traffic Law bars Speaker, Chief Justice from using sirens on the road

    A new road traffic Legislative Instrument (L.I.) has sparked debate in Parliament, as it excludes the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice from the list of high-ranking public officials permitted to use a siren and motorcade in their official vehicles.

    This omission was highlighted by former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu after the L.I. was laid before Parliament.

    Expressing his concerns, Iddrisu emphasized the significance of the Speaker’s role in the nation’s governance structure, arguing that it is inappropriate for such a high-ranking official to be excluded from this privilege.

    “Without personalising it, it is not Alban Sumana Bagbin. It is the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, and he is not entitled to a motorcade or a police siren? In my view, Mr. Speaker, it is wrong for the number three to be out of this privilege,” Mr Iddrisu remarked.

    He further noted the exclusion of the Chief Justice from the Motor Traffic Regulation, stressing the importance of recognizing the four key personalities in the Republic: the President, the Vice President, the Speaker, and the Chief Justice.

    The Legislative Instrument had been previously withdrawn following public backlash over a proposal to grant Members of Parliament (MPs) similar privileges.

    Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin also expressed his concern over the exclusion, suggesting that it could hinder MPs in performing their duties effectively. “Politicians are always in a rush to save their heads when there is a crisis, but sometimes we can have a collective fall. We know the challenges we face coming from home and going to our constituencies,” he said.

    Afenyo-Markin questioned the self-restraint imposed on MPs, pointing out the necessity for politicians to handle public criticism and defend their positions.

    “We belittle ourselves. You are a politician, and you cannot take public bashing and go and explain to the public? Even you have MPs criticising Article 71 benefits that they have benefitted from, and we hear them on radio, and they continue to benefit? We have to take our democracy a little more seriously,” he argued.

    Meanwhile, Speaker Alban Bagbin urged MPs to be assertive and to stand firm in defending their positions.

    He emphasized the leadership role that MPs and the President are elected to fulfill, stating, “Today, when you are talking about a major democracy and spineless Parliament, leadership matters. You must be prepared to take responsibility and defend your positions. If the people knew like you, they will not elect you to lead them, and so they expect you to lead them and be able to persuade them that you are doing so in their interest.”

    Bagbin underscored the importance of leadership, reminding MPs of their duty to improve the conditions of the people they represent: “There are only two people elected on December 7 every election year, and they are the President and the MP, and the two of you are to lead the people to make their condition better.”

  • L.I. on siren use for MPs was so needless, a useless distraction – Ablakwa

    L.I. on siren use for MPs was so needless, a useless distraction – Ablakwa

    The North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has criticized the proposed Legislative Instrument (L.I.) that sought to allow MPs and Ministers to use sirens and be exempted from speed limits, calling it “so needless” and “a useless distraction.”

    Mr. Ablakwa highlighted that many lawmakers within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were unhappy with the L.I., as they were unaware of its specifics until it became public.

    “When this matter became public on our platforms, many MPs said, what is this? We are seeing it for the first time. It was Franklin Cudjoe who put it up. There were protests. MPs were not happy. That is why our caucus leader had to issue a statement. Could you believe that even the leadership of our caucus didn’t know the content of this?” he said on JoyFM’s SMS on July 18.

    The revelation that the minority leadership was uninformed led to calls for the L.I.’s withdrawal.

    Mr Ablakwa explained, “He also issued a memo to leadership of all committees that, before any matter is finalized and laid on the floor, they should let him see it. I have received a copy of that memo. So look, I have said publicly that I don’t support this. I think it’s needless.”

    Expressing his opposition to the L.I., Mr. Ablakwa argued for easing road congestion for all citizens rather than granting privileges to specific groups.

    “Why not ease the burden for everybody? Why do you want to take the ruling class out and I have seen that, from what has been put out in the media, they have added security operatives and all that. It is such a wide ambit. We don’t need that.”

    He further emphasized, “This is so needless. It is a useless distraction. I am surprised that such a thing was brought to the house in the first place and contemplated.”

    In response, Nana Akomea, Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation (STC), accused the NDC of hypocrisy. He pointed out that the chairperson of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee is an NDC member, suggesting that the L.I. came from a minority-led committee.

    “There is an attempt to put it on government. That it is government that is bringing an L.I. I could say to you that the subsidiary legislation is chaired by the NDC. So if anything goes through that committee, then whatever goes through there is inspired by the NDC.”

    Deputy Transport Minister Hassan Tampuli expressed relief that the L.I. had been withdrawn, acknowledging that it originated from the committee and not the government.

    “So these provisions were not from the government, it came from Parliament and nobody among the Subsidiary Legislation Committee can say, it isn’t from there and we are happy to be withdrawing this L.I.,” Tampuli noted.

  • I am responsible for L.I permitting MPs use sirens – Dominic Ayine

    I am responsible for L.I permitting MPs use sirens – Dominic Ayine

    Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament, Dominic Ayine, has taken responsibility for the controversial proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations that would have allowed Members of Parliament (MPs) to use sirens and be exempt from speed limits.

    The proposal sparked widespread public backlash and criticism from various quarters, prompting Ayine to clarify the committee’s role in the matter.

    In an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Dr Ayine emphasized that the amendment was merely a proposal and not a directive to the Transport Minister.

    He acknowledged the public outcry and accepted responsibility on behalf of his committee for the inconvenience caused by the proposal.

    Dr Ayine stated, “I didn’t say that personally, my position is that MPs must be given sirens and be exempted from the speed limit. I never held any position. The point is that it came before my committee and I’m the chairman of the committee so I will take responsibility on behalf of my members. As Chairman of the committee, I take responsibility for everything that the committee has done.”

    The proposed amendment, part of the Legislative Instrument (LI) on Road Traffic Regulations Amendment, faced strong opposition from Ghanaians and the minority caucus in Parliament.

    Critics argued that such privileges for MPs would create inequality on the roads and undermine road safety measures.

  • Local Gov’t Minister withdraws LI granting siren use rights to MPs, Ministers

    Local Gov’t Minister withdraws LI granting siren use rights to MPs, Ministers

    The Legislative Instrument (LI) seeking to amend portions of the Road Traffic Regulations 2012 has been withdrawn from Parliament.

    The announcement was made by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah, who withdrew the LI on behalf of the Transport Minister. This decision comes after considerable public and stakeholder backlash.

    “The withdrawal became necessary based on extensive engagement with leadership,” Mr. Korsah stated. He further elaborated, “Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that the Road Traffic Amendment 2024, which was laid on Friday, June 14, be withdrawn… it is so withdrawn.”

    Initially, the Ministry of Transport had proposed the LI to amend portions of the Road Traffic Regulations 2012.

    The amendment sought to grant Members of Parliament (MPs) and Ministers of State privileges typically reserved for emergency and specialized vehicles.

    Specifically, the amendment to Regulation 74 of LI 2180 would allow sirens or bells to be fitted as warning appliances on vehicles owned by Supreme Court justices, MPs, and Ministers of State.

    The proposal faced strong opposition from both the public and the Minority in Parliament. The Minority issued a press statement urging the Transport Minister to withdraw the LI before it matured in 21 days.

    They also pledged to vote against the LI if it reached the chamber, stating, “We have instructed all our Members on the Committee to strongly oppose it at the committee level. We have also directed all 137 NDC Members of Parliament to vote en bloc against the LI when it is brought to the floor.”

    The opposition argued that the LI represented an abuse of privileges and detracted from the pressing issues facing the nation.

    They urged the government to prioritize addressing critical challenges such as the high cost of living, food inflation, unemployment, high fuel costs, the depreciation of the cedi, and a high tax regime that is driving businesses to relocate to neighboring West African countries.

  • Asante Akyem’s Appiah Kubi defends new L.I permitting siren usage, limitless speed by MPs

    Asante Akyem’s Appiah Kubi defends new L.I permitting siren usage, limitless speed by MPs

    Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has defended the proposed Legislative Instrument (L.I) that would grant MPs and judges the authority to use sirens and drive without speed limits.

    The amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180), recently presented in Parliament, has faced criticism from the public.

    Speaking to the press at Parliament, Appiah-Kubi, a member of the subsidiary legislation committee, justified the amendment by stating it aims to address the urgent needs of MPs in carrying out their duties.

    “We have witnessed situations where some members of parliament, even state ministers and even some judges have been arrested on the road because they are trying to meet their work schedule

    And you go to the police, you go to the Attorney General, and you go to the IGP. He says that I implement the law as given and that I cannot help the situation because the law says that

    “So the remedy is to amend the law to make it lawful for people like that to be able to have special access where necessary,” he said

    He emphasised that these privileges would be used responsibly and argued against the negative portrayal of MPs, labelling it unjust.

    “And indeed, when you are driving on the road in the early hours of the day or late hours of the day, you don’t need any sirens or you don’t need any special access. It is when there is congestion on the road and there is also the need for you to meet deadlines by way of time, that need will arise.

    ““And when it does arise, it is to do your assigned duty for Mother Ghana. So I don’t see why we have to impugn hatred, impugn jealousy, impugn mistrust into the provision. It is omnibus and it covers a lot of institutions, so attempts to single out one particular institution for rebuke is not fair” he fumed.