Kwesi Pratt slams ministers

The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr. Kwesi Pratt, has strongly condemned the initiative by some ministers in the Mills-led administration to board commercial vehicles otherwise known as "Trotro" to mark this year's World Transport Day celebration held last Wednesday.

According to him, this gesture by the ministers who boarded commercial transport to their offices in Accra was completely uncalled for.

Speaking on Accra-based Peace FM last Friday, Mr. Pratt maintained that the 15 minutes gesture by the ministers would not change the fact that most Ghanaians struggle each day, to get transports to work and back home.

Though the Ministers embarked on this initiative ostensibly to ascertain the difficulties and problems ordinary Ghanaians go through on daily basis in the transport sector, the Insight Managing Editor was of the view that the move was unnecessary.

He added that the Ministries involved could still be at their offices and device effective mechanisms of solving the problems most Ghanaians go through as far as transportation is concerned "rather than playing with the feelings of the ordinary Ghanaian."

"Are they saying that they can't be in their offices and find ways of solving this problem of struggling for transports to work and going home? What are they saying, they should stop playing with our feelings" he cautioned.

The celebration formed part of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), held under the theme "Road Safety Is a Shared and Collective Responsibility", which was launched by the Vice-President, Mr. John Mahama, on October 26, this year, in the Eastern Region.

The initiative was organised to educate the public on road safety issues and how to improve the transportation system in the country.

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Joe Gidisu, expressed grave concerns about the uncomfortable features of some public buses, which need to be replaced to make public transport comfortable.

He disclosed that the last time he used public transport was 15 years ago. Mr Gidisu said he joined a public transport from the Volta Region to Madina and another to the Tema Station and walked to his office, adding that he was not noticed by anyone in the bus until the media started calling to interview him.

He explained that the Public Transport Day was celebrated to remind policy makers of the challenges in the public transportation system.

On her part, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs. Dzifa Aku Attivor, said she could remember using public transport for about 19 years before owning a vehicle.