Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has dismissed calls from the Alliance For Change (AFC) for the re-introduction of the 2am curfew as a measure to end road fatalities.
Noting that the AFC has clearly shown that is has no new ideas, Jagdeo told a press conference on Thursday that “the 2am curfew never worked.”
“Nobody goes out on a Friday night or a Saturday night before midnight,” he added.
“This is our culture. You know how much business is done (during those hours),” the Vice President explained.
Referring to the AFC politicians, Jagdeo contended that “these people are worn, out of touch with reality”.
Nevertheless, the Vice President admitted that more needs to be done to address road accidents and fatalities on the roadways.
During a press conference on Friday last, AFC’s past leader and former Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan called for the 2am curfew to be reinstated.
“The AFC advises that the 2am curfew which was in place under the coalition government be reinstituted. It would have avoided so many deaths on our roads,” Ramjattan said.
The 2am curfew was often relaxed during the holiday periods where there would be higher-than-usual alcohol consumption among persons – thereby defeating the intended purpose of the curfew – to curb road fatalities, especially those caused by drunk driving.
Moreover, the curfew was widely criticised as being anti-business.
AFC’s calls for the reintroduction of the 2am curfew was not supported by its parliamentary partner in Opposition, the Peoples National Congress (PNC).
“The PNCR has noted media reports that quote the AFC, in the person of its former Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, as saying that the 2AM curfew should be re-instated as a measure to reduce road accidents and fatalities. Without any empirical data or statistical analysis, the PNCR cannot support the AFC’s proposal,” the PNC said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Moreover, the PNCR is convinced that the road accident crisis cannot be resolved by merely one measure. It requires a holistic and data-driven approach, with continuous monitoring,” the party added.
