Statement from the Ghana Committed Drivers Association (GCDA).

The Ghana Committed Drivers Association (GCDA) wish to express our total disappointment at the recent directive by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), that Police Officers stop checking vehicles for Drivers License; Roadworthiness certificates, Insurance and other equipment essential for road safety.

We wish to state that while very much concerned about the safety of Drivers, their passengers, and pedestrians, and consider the acquisition of the relevant vehicle documents and equipment as very necessary to road safety, we consider the recent directive by the IGP as only a lame and desperate attempt by the Mahama-led government to bribe commercial drivers to vote for the NDC following years of implementing punishing policies against us.

Furthermore, of more concern to us and our plight as drivers, is the Mahama-led NDC government's insensitivity and resultant increases in insurance premiums by over 500% and to further increase it by an additional 300% if they win the 2016 elections. As drivers we have been saddled with gas shortages and unstable and high petroleum prices over the last couple of years. Import duties on vehicles and spare parts have made our trade more expensive as vehicles have become expensive to buy and to run in order to make ends meet.
Also social intervention programmes like the NHIS and free maternal care have become inaccessible or non-existent to our families and a further burden on our meager incomes. Life in Ghana today for us in this sector has increasingly unbearable.
Vehicle Income Taxes have been increased by over 100%; commercial roadworthiness certificates have been increased by over 100%, while cost of vehicle spare parts continue to increase by the day. Several attempts to communicate our concerns to government for redress have proven futile.
In the new road traffic regulation LI 2180 signed by Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Transport at the time, a lot of counter-productive regulations have been put in place all of which are inimical to the interest of commercial drivers, and these are the core issues that affect our livelihood.
Indeed this government recognises that it has been very insensitive to concerns of commercial drivers and has acted in ways, only inimical to our commercial success.
Accordingly, we wish to call on all commercial drivers to treat the recent directive by the IGP with contempt as it is only a desperate attempt by the Mahama-led government to deceptively, court votes of commercial drivers in favour of the NDC.
In all these, we urge all our members and other drivers to continue to respect and abide by all motor regulations to ensure safety on our roads.

SIGNED:
PRINCE AMANKWA (VICE-CHAIRMAN) 0246-239394/0560892940
FRANCIS APPIAH (P.R.O) 026-9872343/020-0925557
OCTOBER 5TH, 2016