In a surprising turn of events, Members of Parliament (MPs) have rejected the exclusion of the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice in the list of officials allowed to use sirens and motorcades in the revised road traffic amendment regulation.
This comes after the initial Legislative Instrument (LI) that was seeking to amend portions of the Road Traffic Regulations 2012 to allow high-ranking officials, including the Speaker of Parliament and MPs to use sirens and bypass speed limits with motorcades, was withdrawn in Parliament due to widespread public outcry.
Following the backlash, some MPs said that the regulation was ill-conceived and would have undermined the country’s road safety efforts.
However, during an emergency parliamentary sitting yesterday, some MPs beat a retreat, arguing that the Speaker and the Chief Justice should be reinstated in the list of officials entitled to use sirens and motorcades.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, who led the charge, advocated for the reinstatement of the Speaker and the Chief Justice as well as legislators, citing security concerns and the need for dignitaries to move swiftly in emergency situations.
“If an MP is in his constituency at Kasoa and you want his votes here because you want him to exercise a mandate. That is not abuse of a motorcade or a police siren. So Mr. Speaker, mine was to arrest the laying of this instrument if I had my way,” he stated.
He continued, “Because the Speaker and the Chief Justice of Ghana cannot be left out of this privilege or entitlement of having a police accompany them. What we need to guard against, which is what the public is saying, is that the ministers, you are not doing the roads properly. There is congestion on the roads and you want a free road to ride. That is what the public detests.”
“But Mr. Speaker, when you talk of an ordinary day, talk also of an extraordinary day. Assuming there is a crisis in Ghana, the Speaker has to be looked for.
“And Mr. Speaker, I hope I can share this experience with you. You recall when former President Mills died. I still recall when Ben Kunbor, Minister for Attorney General then, had to call on us on how we could locate Mrs. Theodora Georgina Wood to get herself ready for Vice President then to be sworn in at 4, 5 p.m. We’re looking for the Chief Justice at the time,” he recounted.
Other MPs, including Joseph Osei-Owusu and Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, supported Iddrisu’s stance, arguing that the House should protect its privileges and immunities.
They suggested that the legislation be withdrawn and revised to include MPs in the list of those entitled to use police sirens and motorcades.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, also urged his colleagues to be bold and assert their rights, emphasising that Parliament is a critical institution that deserves respect and privileges.
However, the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, urged his colleagues to allow the laying of the controversial document in Parliament, emphasising that once it is laid, the House has the authority to make changes or annul it if necessary.
He argued that if the document is not laid, Parliament’s power to effect changes or annul it does not arise, noting that once the document is laid and referred to a committee, MPs can then insist on changes or annulment if necessary.
Mr. Osei-Owusu stressed the importance of unity among MPs on critical matters, noting that if they have a two-thirds majority, they can annul the document if it is deemed necessary.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliamentary Correspondent