Kwesi Pratt challenges claims that restrictions on bus preaching is an attack on Christianity

Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jr., has backed the proposed restriction on preaching in moving commercial vehicles.

His comments come amid public debate over Regulation 141 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which prohibits preaching and hawking in public and commercial vehicles while they are in motion.

It provides for a fine of between 10 and 50 penalty units, imprisonment for up to eight months, or both for offenders.

The government subsequently suspended implementation of the provision on October 9 following public criticism.

Speaking on Accra-based Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on Wednesday, October 14, Mr Pratt questioned the assumption that preachers should be allowed to evangelise inside moving commercial vehicles without restrictions.

“When you sit on the bus, and excuse my language, who the hell has the audacity to tell you what to do on the bus?” he asked.

Mr Pratt argued that Ghana’s religious diversity even makes it necessary to consider the rights of passengers who might not subscribe to the beliefs being preached to them.

He cited the possibility of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and adherents of traditional religions attempting to promote their respective beliefs on the same bus, noting that such a situation could create confusion and discomfort.

The veteran journalist also questioned the pressure passengers could face when preachers use long-distance journeys to solicit attention for their religious messages, particularly when travel itself is stressful.

He further asserted that freedom of religion should not be interpreted as a licence to impose religious beliefs on others in shared public spaces.