By: Emmanuel Amoah
The Road and Traffic (Amendment) Regulations, 2024, a new Legal Instrument (L.I.), has been reintroduced in Parliament, detailing who is authorized to use sirens on vehicles. According to the L.I., once it becomes law after a 21-day period, only the President, Vice President, police, and ambulance services will be permitted to use sirens.
Notably, this new regulation excludes the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, and Members of Parliament from using sirens or any other warning devices on their vehicles.
Upon the L.I.’s introduction by the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu immediately voiced his objections. He argued that it is inappropriate to deny the Speaker of Parliament, who is third in the national hierarchy, the ability to use sirens during important state functions. Nonetheless, he agreed that it was reasonable for regular Members of Parliament to be restricted from using sirens.
Reporting from the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), where Parliament is temporarily convening due to ongoing renovations at the Parliament House, Nana Konadu Agyemang of Graphic Online noted that the Speaker of Parliament expressed strong displeasure with the development. Consequently, the L.I. was referred to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee for further review.
Previously, on July 16, 2024, the House rejected a similar L.I. after a public outcry. Critics argued that Members of Parliament should not be exempt from the traffic conditions that affect all road users and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed amendment before it could become law.
