The Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare-Obeng, popularly known as A-Plus, has said he now understands why Members of Parliament advocated for the use of sirens in their vehicles..
On June 14, 2024, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Regulation 2024 was laid in parliament to allow MPs to use sirens and exempt them from speed limits while carrying out official duties.
However, the L.I was withdrawn after the House rejected it, following public outrage. Many Ghanaians criticized the proposal, arguing that MPs should not be exempted from the same traffic congestion faced by all road users.
Kwame Asare-Obeng, who was then not a Parliamentarian was among the numerous Ghanaians who criticized the regulation. Reflecting on a recent experience as an MP, he recounted a situation where he needed to attend a parliamentary session and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana’s National Convention (Jalsa) on the same day, a situation he said led him to call a dispatch rider to escort him to his constituency and back to Parliament in time to carry out his duties.
“It is not an easy task at all, today, for instance, I have to go with the president to my constituency, the Ahmadiyya Muslim had their annual convention and you know it’s in my constituency that’s where they have it and I had to be at the convention, and I had to be in parliament at the same time.
“I remembered that last year, before I entered parliament, I was complaining about why MPs wanted sirens. And I called my friend, he’s a dispatch rider. I said, where are you? He said, I’m 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 further disclosed that, he is now in a better position to explain to the public the necessity of allowing Members of Parliament to use sirens.
“I came to understand why the Members of Parliament were advocating for the use of sirens in their vehicles and can you imagine somebody whose constituency is somewhere in say Paga and you have to go there with the president and then come back to parliament.
“I think that I’m in a position to explain what happens and what parliamentarians go through very well to the public.” He said
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
