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The Legislative Instrument had been previously withdrawn following public backlash over a proposal to grant Members of Parliament (MPs) similar privileges.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