Suspension of Road Toll and New Driver's License Timely

On Monday, the Ministry of Transport announced that it had suspended the implementation of the proposed nationwide broken-down vehicles towing service.

The government, through the national Road Safety Commission, informed the public that effective July 1, 2017, vehicle owners and motorcyclists will pay compulsory annual fees, tied to the acquisition of a road worthy certificate, to cater for towing services, and a fee of between GH?40 and GH?100 proposed.

Prior to that, on Friday, the Ministry of Transport directed the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to suspend, with immediate effect, the introduction of the Smart Drivers Licence and Vehicle Registration Cards, slated to take effect on July 18.

These are two very important legislations, which the Transport Ministry, in collaboration with two of its agencies, intended to introduce into the country to regulate activities in the road sector.

The Chronicle believes the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has proved it is a listening government, which is ready to partner the good people of this country for its development and forward march.

This is, because, in the history of this country, there has been many occasions when the government of the day had wanted to introduce new legislation, which did not go down well with the people.

The people would complain, and instead of the government paying attention to the issue, would rather unleash violence or terror on the people, using both police and military personnel.

A case in point is the Kume Preko incident, which claimed some lives and caused injury to several others.

Kume Preko was the name given to an anti-government demonstration that occurred in Ghana in 1995, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The protest, which is said to have been one of the biggest protests ever organised in the country, with an estimated 100,000 people participating, was in opposition to the Value Added Tax (VAT) initiative introduced during the reign of former President Jerry John Rawlings.

The demonstration, which was initially billed as a peaceful protest, turned violent when some unidentified assailants shot live bullets into the crowd, resulting in the deaths of a few protestors.

Perhaps, with this at the back of his mind, when Ghanaians, especially civil society organisations, expressed their dissatisfaction over the introduction of the mandatory road toll and new driver's license, the President kept a cool head to avoid any further disturbances.

The Chronicle wishes to commend the government, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo, to have harkened to the voice of the people, and suspended the implementation of the two legislations.

The government, in a letter dated June 14, 2017, and signed by the Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, ordered that the two projects should be suspended until the necessary approvals had been sought.

It is, however, refreshing to note that the Deputy Transport Minister, Daniel Titus Glover, has hinted that the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) has been charged to ensure the proper sensitisation of all stakeholders, before it is implemented.

The Chronicle is advising the government to engage all stakeholders, one-on-one, to enlighten them about what the project is all about, and what Ghana, as a nation, stands to benefit.

The National Road Safety Commission must also embark on an aggressive education campaign to get all Ghanaians to aligned in principle with the new legislation, before its implementation.

The government must take the necessary steps to organise engagements with the various stakeholders, collect their views, and come out with practical ways of addressing the situation, before implementing it finally.

The government, after its engagement with stakeholders, including civil society groups from across the country, must also engage the Information Service Department (ISD) to use their vans to go round the country to educate the ordinary Ghanaian to understand why there was the need for the implementation of the policies.

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