By Adama Makasuba
Transport Union has accused the government of being responsible for excess of road accidents occurring in the country, as driving licenses are being privatise by the government.
The union comments come as police started testing exercise for drivers which they said will minimise several accidents occurring in the country.
President of the union, Omar Ceesay said: “drivers are not the cause of road accidents I will blame government for it. This is due to the fact that government has privatised driving license because it is a private company who is issuing it. And no one should privatise the national document.”
“The police process license and the company issue it to drivers – and no one knows what happens in that issuing process,” he added.
According to him, drivers are most affected in term of accidents “because when accident occurs if the drivers don’t die, the driver will be injured severely and our properties will be destroyed.”
But he called on government to sit with them (Union) to solve the problem at hand as soon as possible “because government alone or its representative cannot solve this problem at hand likewise the union, too, but can only be solved collectively.”
Meanwhile, he said: “If they say drivers can’t drive it puzzle me [sic] who produce that license for them? When the police announced testing exercise for drivers, I countered that call, because I cannot determine your competency. My argument is the procedure they put in place for testing – medical testing is what I disagree with.”
Commenting on those might have eyes problem, he said the police have rights to take people who they suspect of developing eye problems to go for medication.”
“Yes, drivers are charging how they like on road and stopping where they like because there is no law regulating traffic. And the government should come up with regulations because since 1965 we don’t have a regulation and the law need to govern the people,” he added.