The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has ordered the Minister of Roads and Highways to reverse the decision to stop road toll payments in the country.
According to the Speaker, the Minister Mr. Amoako Atta acted wrongly by issuing that command.
The Minister had directed the cessation of collection of tolls on public roads and bridges effective Thursday, November 18.
The Minister issued the directive after Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta had announced in the 2022 budget statement that the collection of road tolls had been abolished.
But the Speaker the Minister had no such powers to issue such a directive.
“These are policy proposals that the Minister of Finance has presented to the House. Until they are approved nobody has the authority to start implementing something that doesn’t exist.
“Does [the road minister’s order] amount to a disrespect of the House? That is where I may differ.
“The Minister of Roads and Highways, because this is not a court of law, might have misunderstood or misapplied the law and so it is for us to draw his attention and tell him that you have no such authority. In spite of all the legal and linguistic gymnastics that have been displayed, it is very clear that when the minister sought to do he had no such authority to do that.
“I want to clearly direct that what the Minister has released is complete Brutum Fulmen, it means it an empty boast, it has no effect and therefore I call on him to honourably withdraw that directive. Failure to do so will be a serious breach of the directive of the speaker and that would amount to contempt of parliament.
“I think that it is proper for us to direct the minister, a member of this house, in fact, a senior member of this house, I think that he might have acted wrongly and therefore I call on him to reverse this decision,” he ruled.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
