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.
Mr Koomson said the regulation was necessary to protect passengers, drivers and other road users from potential dangers arising from distractions inside moving vehicles.
Speaking on Ahotor FM, he questioned how drivers could maintain concentration if passengers were permitted to preach their religious beliefs while a vehicle was in motion.
“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 does not prohibit preaching or selling altogether but restricts such activities when vehicles are moving.
“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 generated controversy, with some religious leaders and members of the public expressing concerns that its enforcement could restrict evangelism and the exercise of religious freedom.
However, Mr Koomson dismissed those concerns, arguing that preaching inside moving vehicles could endanger lives by distracting drivers.
He also questioned the need for religious leaders to use public transport as a platform for evangelism.
“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.
The labour leader further questioned the rationale behind attempting to convert passengers during short journeys, particularly when they may belong to different religious backgrounds.
He also rejected suggestions that enforcing the regulation could cost the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) votes, insisting that political considerations should not prevent the application of existing laws.
“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?” he asked.
Mr Koomson questioned whether similar conduct would be tolerated on public transport in Europe, America or Asia, and criticised what he described as the failure to uphold acceptable standards of behaviour in Africa.
He maintained that the regulation must be enforced irrespective of its potential political consequences, stressing that public safety should take precedence over electoral considerations.
The GFL Secretary-General also called for drivers who permit preaching or hawking while their vehicles are in motion to be arrested, arguing that they have a responsibility to remain focused on the road and ensure the safe transportation of passengers.
“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 are liable to 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 strict enforcement of the regulation would help minimise distractions in moving vehicles and safeguard the lives of passengers, drivers and other road users.
