– Summary Jurisdiction Bill gets unanimous support in National Assembly

THE Summary Jurisdiction (Procedure) (Amendment) Bill 2013 was passed by the National Assembly, last evening, with the assurances of increased efficiency in the traffic ticketing system.

The Bill’s passage now allows for persons issued with a traffic ticket to pay the prescribed penalty to the clerk of the court of any magisterial district, regardless of where the traffic offence was committed.
Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, moved the motion for the Bill’s second reading and in his contribution to the debate on the legislation, he explained that the legislation is not only practical, it encourages efficiency in the system and encourages compliance by traffic offenders by allowing payments to be made at convenient locations.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) front-bencher, Basil Williams, noted that the legislation is a revenue raising measure to ensure that revenues owed reach the “kitty” and called for meaningful measures to address the carnage on Guyana’s roads.
Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, acknowledged that the legislation will improve revenue collection.
However, he made it clear that the law has a dual purpose, the other being to ensure that persons who commit offences honour their obligations and do so in a timely manner.
Minister Rohee pointed out that the legislation adds to the usefulness of the network that is currently in place to electronically track whether fines were paid or not.
“The issue of efficiency,” he stressed.
The Home Affairs Minister added that moves are being made by his ministry to address the issue of road safety.
APNU’s Williams argued that to promote payment of a fine when traffic laws are breached are not reflective of meaningful measures to ensure the safety of road users.
“The APNU hopes that a substantial bill comes next time, not the ‘titty-bit’ legislation we are seeing now,” he said.
The Attorney General countered by pointing out that the existing road safety legislations comprehensively looks at the concerns raised by Williams.
He pointed to the merit system under which persistent traffic offenders are penalized.
Nandlall added that more legislation is not the way to go; rather public awareness and education could prove more efficacious.
He reiterated that the Bill before the National Assembly is only intended to address the efficiency of an existing measure to address Guyana’s traffic problems.
Government Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Hamilton, echoed this sentiment and stressed that the issue at hand is to allow for citizens not to be inconvenienced in paying the fines in the districts they were issued.
He stated that the fact is that the legislation is a measure to improve road safety by improving the efficiency of the ticketing system.
Hamilton maintained that the amendment is useful.
Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, expressed his support, but like Williams, called for increased action to address the issue of road safety.
Nandlall acknowledged the concerns expressed.
The Bill passed the House with unanimous support.

(By Vanessa Narine)