Law on mandatory towing fee planned; plotted – Ace Ankomah

Private legal practitioner, Ace Anan Ankomah has called for changes to the controversial law on mandatory towing of disabled vehicles following growing public resistance against the law.

Ace Anan Ankomah believes, the law “could have been richer and more acceptable” if more engagements were done prior to it coming into force.

Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee on Tuesday gave its backing for the implementation of the LI 2180 passed in 2012.

The greenlight came after government suspended the July 1 implementation date in response to public disapproval.

The Committee has now recommended it should be made to take effect by end of September only after a widespread awareness campaign. Fees per year for both commercial and non-commercial vehicles, depending on tonnage, range from GHȻ10 to GHȻ200.

Chairman of the Committee Samuel Aye Paye said the committee could not have called for the abrogation of the contract because, that would have led to the payment of judgement debt.

Samuel Aye Paye
“We couldn’t reverse the issue because it is up to the government to do that; Parliament cannot do that. A contract has duly been signed in 2016…It’s better than abrogating the contract and pay a penalty that may affect the country in future,” Mr Aye Paye told Joy News.

But speaking on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM Wednesday, Ace Anokmah said the law “seems planned [and] it seems plotted”.

The ‘Parliamentary alacrity’
Commenting on the issue, Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil rather faulted the legislature for ‘hurrying’ the document.

“I think Parliament is making a very strenuous effort to push things through… it was not parliament’s business to do what they did,” Mr. Bentil told Kojo Yankson, host of the Show.

Mr. Bentil is doubtful disabled vehicles would be removed from the roads within the two-hour period as the law demands.

He said: “With the structures we have in this country, there is no guarantee that this law is going to work.”

Meanwhile, Road Transport Consultant, Cecil Garbrah, has said Parliament’s Committee on Roads and Transport cannot be blamed for the latest development because “this [deal] had already been cooked”.

‎Mr. Garbrah further raised doubts over the effectiveness of the service to be rendered by private a firm, Road Safety Management Company Limited, although he fully supports the idea that vehicle owners pay for towing of their disabled vehicles.

He said it will be difficult for broken down trucks to be removed from the roads “within a matter of two hours”.

Play audio attached to listen to the discussion:

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com