The President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has called for a reduction in the number of public officials entitled to use sirens and motorcades in their official vehicles.
His comments follow recent reports that the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Chief Justice have been excluded from the list of officials granted these privileges under a new road traffic amendment regulation laid before Parliament.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr Cudjoe emphasised that the removal of such privileges should extend beyond Members of Parliament, who were already excluded after public backlash.
“Even though we managed to push back that of the MPs, I think ministers should also be taken off that list. I have been sitting in traffic and every now private cars just using their sirens and making noise with no motorcade ahead of them. The police have told us that unless there is a motorcade ahead of these private persons, we should not allow it. I sit firmly in my car; I never budge at all. They get close to me and rain insults; I don’t give a hoot.
“That is what every citizen should do, we should push back as many more people who have to get off that list. It is not as if you have a siren then you are on the highway to heaven. In any case, the most ‘sensible’ thing to do is to make sure that everybody has a life that they can in a city that is not congested,” he stated.
