The Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has called for the strict enforcement of Regulation 141 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which prohibits preaching and hawking in public and commercial vehicles while they are in motion.
According to him, the regulation is necessary to protect the safety of passengers and drivers, arguing that preaching and selling inside moving vehicles can distract drivers and put the lives of road users at risk.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme on Saturday, October 10, Mr Koomson questioned how drivers would maintain their concentration if passengers from different religious backgrounds were allowed to preach inside moving vehicles.
“How do you preach in a moving bus? So, if Kwaku Bonsam, a traditionalist, also tells his followers to go and join the bus to preach their faith, and the Muslims too send their people, what will happen to the bus while it is moving?” he asked.
He explained that the regulation permits preaching and selling at lorry stations or when vehicles are stationary, but not while they are in motion.
“The law is saying you can preach or sell whatever at the lorry station or when the vehicle is stationary, but not when the vehicle is in motion,” he said.
Regulation 141 has attracted criticism from some religious leaders and members of the public, who have raised concerns about its implications for evangelism and the freedom to express religious beliefs.
However, Mr Koomson argued that pastors who support preaching in moving vehicles were disregarding the safety of passengers and questioned whether such activities were necessary to demonstrate their faith.
“Preaching or selling in a moving vehicle distracts the driver, so any pastor who supports preaching in moving cars is a fake pastor. He is among the charlatans the Bible spoke about because that is not the place to exhibit faith,” he stated.
He further questioned the rationale behind attempting to convert passengers to a particular faith during a short journey, especially when they may belong to different religious traditions.
Mr Koomson also dismissed suggestions that the enforcement of the regulation could cost the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) votes, insisting that the government should not be blamed for implementing an existing law.
“Someone warned that the NDC will lose votes with that law. What votes will they lose, and for what crime? And for the sake of that, you don’t want the laws to be applied? Can you go to any place in Europe or America or Asia to preach in a train? What kind of behaviour is this? Africa is indeed a shithole beyond shit,” he said.
The GFL Secretary-General maintained that the regulation should be enforced regardless of the political consequences, arguing that public safety must take precedence over political considerations.
He also called for drivers who allow preaching or hawking in their vehicles while in motion to be arrested, arguing that they have a responsibility to concentrate on driving and ensure that passengers reach their destinations safely.
“That law must work. If you preach in a moving vehicle, you must be arrested. Even the driver must be arrested, because how can a driver concentrate and focus and drive people safely to their destinations? So, the driver must be arrested too,” he said.
Under Regulation 141, offenders face fines ranging from 10 to 50 penalty units, imprisonment for up to eight months, or both, according to the provision cited in the debate.
Mr Koomson reiterated that enforcing the regulation would help prevent distractions in moving vehicles and improve the safety of passengers and drivers.
