By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Hon. Dominic Ayine, has clarified that the recent amendment to road traffic regulations allowing parliamentarians and ministers to use sirens and alarms on their vehicles only applies in emergencies.
Speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show, Hon. Ayine emphasized that the exemption from observing speed limits does not mean that parliamentarians and ministers of state are above the law and that they will still be held liable for any accidents they may cause.
The amendment, which was introduced by the Minister of Transport, Hon Kwaku Ofori Asiamah to Parliament is yet to be passed into law and aims to promote the use of seatbelts and observation of road signs, he said.
Hon. Ayine noted that the public’s outrage over the amendment seems hypocritical, as the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is also exempt from observing speed limits due to official duties yet there is no similar outcry.
“There is a misconception that the amendment was effected by Parliament however it is not an act of parliament but rather a legislative instrument which can only be passed when two-thirds majority vote in Parliament to be passed into law.”
