The Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana (C-DAG) has downplayed Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s policy that he will allow driver’s licenses to be renewed after ten years.
The Vice President and 2024 Presidential Candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has advocated for extensive changes in the time for the renewal of driver’s licenses.
“Drivers are here. Today, the driver’s license expires every two years. Let us extend it, be it 8 years or 10 years. Let us make sure you can have a driver’s license without having to renew it every year. It does not make sense, and so by the grace of God we would make changes,” he said when addressing chiefs and elders at Boadua in Akwatia.
Renewing Driver’s license every 2 years makes no sense; we’ll do 8 or 10-years – Bawumia
Reacting to this proposal in a statement dated August 13, 2024, Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana, said although they welcome the idea, they cannot trust Dr Bawumia to deliver on his promise.
“While we welcome the suggestion as a brilliant idea we have genuine cause to not just believe but to also state unequivocally that it is another bait to just win the votes of drivers because he has in times past exhibited glaring lack of concern for the plight of drivers.
“It is of public knowledge that drivers in the country, particularly commercial drivers, are in deep shackles of suffering as a result of policies instituted by the NPP and by the same Bawumia’s led Economic Management Team,” the stated said in part.
The statement added that the promise is only a calculated attempt to win the votes of drivers because there are numerous policies the current administration failed to implement.
“Under the same Akufo Addo/Bawumia’s government, the cost of acquiring, renewing and replacing of driver’s license and road worthy certificates have been increased astronomically.
“It is also publicly known that prior to the 2020 elections, the same Bawumia pledged electric vehicles that would have been purchased under hire for drivers but his government’s tenure is almost ending and not even a single electric vehicle has been procured for any driver.
“Even recently, Dr Bawumia at the GPRTU executives elections which was held in Kasoa pledged to have the situation where vehicle owners pay penalties for road worthy certificate renewal for vehicles that went to the workshop dealt with swiftly. However, he appears to have completely forgotten the July 5 pledge.”
They also called on drivers to be more vigilant about these promises being churned out by the vice president, who is seeking to relish his president’s ambitions.
