Moonilal: Careful over traffic wardens

So said Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal in last week’s Lower House debate on the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017.

“The effect of this bill is to elevate a traffic warden to an inspection officer,” he said incredulously.

“Now somebody making $4,700 a month is inadequate.

Some people work in the night as bar men and waitresses because traffic warden is not a job which carries the salary and benefits, and you are now calling them ‘Inspection officer’ but not providing for any upgrade.” Saying the bill gets traffic wardens to participate in punitive actions including going to court, Moonilal asked if this is an apt role for persons who are not public officers but contract workers.

Noting the bill contains 100 offences, Moonilal hit the bill’s “brutality”.

“This law contributes to the punitive environment that this Government is creating — Everyone’s ‘guilty’; Prove your innocence.

“It is a very dangerous culture. I don’t know from what jurisdiction this is coming.” Saying a dim backlight on a motor vehicle will incur a hefty $450 penalty, Moonilal scoffed, “It’s fine after fine after fine!”.

Estimating that the Government could collect $2.1 billion in traffic fines under this bill, he asked what the money would be used for? In a clear taunt at the Government, Moonilal asked if the collected fines are to be used to pay roaming charges, fund trips to Tobago or pay the $2 million cost to cut a ribbon to open a stadium? He suggested the money be used to fund road repair and watercourse clearing, saying if there had been a regular fixing of drains the country would not be in the catastrophe it is now in after the recent passage of Tropical Storm Bret