Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, has clarified that she was not angry during her recent exchange with the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey.
The exchange occurred during a PAC sitting on October 27, when the committee was questioning the DVLA boss about the new digital number plates designed to enhance security and curb vehicle-related crimes.
At the sitting, the PAC Chair had asked the DVLA Boss whether these plates would include users’ surnames as part of their security features.
The DVLA boss responded that names are not typically displayed on number plates, saying, “I was wondering why that question because we don’t put names on number plates.”
This response prompted a sharp reaction from Abena Osei-Asare.
“That is a blatant lie. You have people who pay for specialised number plates, and they have theirs. You just mentioned that there are going to be security features, and I’m asking, is that going to include people’s names on that plate? And you said you don’t expect me to ask you that question. Are you not the DVLA boss?” she questioned.
The exchange quickly spread across social media and sparked public discussion.
However, speaking in an interview on Channel 1 TV monitored by NewsDesksGH on November 10, Mrs. Osei-Asare dismissed claims that she was angry.
“I wasn’t angry, but you know when you’re given positions, you have to live up to those positions,” she said.
“You came, you told us you were doing A, B, C, D, especially with reference to the number plates. You’re coming up with new security features,” she explained.
She emphasized that her role on the committee was to represent the public’s interest rather than any personal agenda.
“When we sit there, it’s not for Abena’s purpose that we sit there, or not for rankings only, but for the people of Ghana,” she said.
“They’ve heard a lot about the kind of innovations the new CEO is bringing into that office, and so we give you that opportunity to tell Ghanaians what really it is that you want to do, and we gave him that opportunity.”
She added that the DVLA CEO should have been well-versed in their mandates and the laws governing their institutions.
“Because you are advising us, you are telling us this is what you’re going to do, you should have known what the law says,” she noted.
“When we sit there, it’s about the people of Ghana, and sometimes we echo their concerns. So when we give you that opportunity to share what you do with the people of Ghana, it is not Abena asking, neither is it Ranking asking,” Abena Osei-Asare stressed.
