Siren Use: Speaker, Chief Justice office removed from list

The offices of the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice have been removed from the list of high-ranking public officials permitted to install sirens in their official vehicles and use motorcades.This omission was highlighted by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Tamale South, following the introduction of a new road traffic Legislative Instrument (L.I.) to Parliament on Wednesday.During the debate on the motion, Mr Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader, stated: 'Mr Speaker, without personalizing it, it is not Alban Sumana Bagbin.' The Speaker of Ghana's Parliament does not have the right to a motorcade or a police siren.? Mr. Speaker, I believe it is incorrect for the number three to be denied this privilege,' he stated.He added:'Mr Speaker, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana is also exempt from the Motor Traffic Regulation and is not entitled to it.' Mr Speaker, you can keep a minister and a member of parliament, but this republic has four importa nt personalities: the president, the vice president, the speaker, and the chief justice.'The L.I. was previously withdrawn in response to public outrage over a proposal to grant Members of Parliament (MPs) similar rights.Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader who spoke during the debate, expressed concern about the exclusion.Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader who spoke during the debate, expressed concern about the exclusion.'Mr Speaker, 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. It is not that a member of Parliament, by virtue of having a siren, will use it every day.'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 the radio, and they continue to benefit ? We must take our democracy more seriously, he said.Meanwhile, Speaker Alban Bagbin encouraged MPs to be assertive and defend their positions whenever necessary.'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 you like you, they would 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.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,' he said.Source: Ghana News Agency