Alban Bagbin
THE SPEAKER of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, appears to have stirred up the hornet’s nest with his unverified statement that he is the least travelled Speaker in the Fourth Republic.
According to DAILY GUIDE checks, the Speaker is turning out to be the most expensive, as well as unproductive Speaker in the Fourth Republic, using the first 14 months of every parliamentary tenure as a yardstick.
Mr. Bagbin, in his 14th month as Speaker, may have not travelled to several countries, but his constant trips to Dubai for medical care, and number of days spent surpass any Speaker, a source in Parliament told DAILY GUIDE.
On March 7, 2022, Mr. Bagbin, in the course of defending his lavish Dubai medical trips, claimed that he is the least travelled Speaker, asking his critics to turn their attention to other members of the leadership of the House.
“Even within the hierarchy of Parliament, there are members of the leadership whose frequency of travel is far higher than that of Mr. Speaker. It is also on record that Rt. Hon. Bagbin, in his 14 months as Speaker, is the least travelled of all previous Speakers of Parliament within the same time frame.
“The public is advised to see in such publications the political mischief that is intended and ignore such publications with the contempt they deserve,” Speaker Bagbin said in a statement issued on his behalf.
However, the statement, according to insiders, is palpable false, as the Speaker hardly stays in the jurisdiction.
Since July last year, when he started his Dubai medical trips, Mr. Bagbin stays outside more than in the country, thereby impeding parliamentary works.
According to information picked from Parliamentary corridors, the Speaker is in his fifth Dubai trip, where he spends average of $200,000, saddling the state with over $1.1million expenses.
Sources indicated that, Mr. Bagbin’s claims of travelling less is because of his ill health, which has kept him outside the jurisdiction, mostly in Dubai, and that there is no basis for the comparison.
Another source in Parliament also berated the Speaker over claims that he travels with few people.
“For purposes of clarity, Mr. Speaker travelled with the medical doctor in charge of Parliament Medical Centre, his spouse as carer and two other officials of Parliament as the least in practice. There is no advance party, no children, and certainly no other member on his entourage,” he said in his statement about his current trip.
According to checks, Mr. Bagbin only scaled down the number of his entourage when he realised it was becoming scandalous given the large retinue.
For instance, in his first trip to Dubai in July 2021, he was said to have travelled with 13 people, including his wife and other family members, spending over $200,000 with SOS call for extra cash.
His next trip was scaled down to nine with $150,000 spending money.
BY Vincent Kubi