Alban Bagbin is the Speaker of Parliament
Alban Bagbin was in Dubai for medical checkup
Alban Bagbin travelled with skeletal staff to Dubai
MPs, executives and judiciary have medical travel privileges
The counsel for the Speaker of Parliament, Magnus Kofi Amoatey, has said that it is unfortunate that the health of the Speaker is being politicized.
In a statement from the Office of the Speaker and signed by the lawyer, he explained the circumstances under which Alban Bagbin recently travelled to seek medical care in Dubai, adding that this only formed part of his privileged routine as Speaker of Parliament.
“The attention of the office of the Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban S. K. Bagbin has been drawn to the circulation of communication between Parliament’s Parliamentary Relations and Protocol Office and the Consulate General of Ghana in Dubai. The said document is in regard to the Rt. Hon. Speaker’s trip to Dubai for a routine medical check-up.
“Let it be placed on record that, the Speaker is accompanied by four officials, to the exclusions of his Aide De Camp, Protocol Office, Butler and other relevant staff. The Speaker’s office will again like to state that, as part of their conditions of service, Speakers of Ghana’s Parliament are entitled to such routine medical check-ups, just like officials of the Executive and Judiciary arms of government,” the statement said.
It continued to state that while the Speaker is entitled to all these, Alban Bagbin was particularly mindful of the times we are in and therefore limited the entourage that travelled with him to Dubai.
“The current Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, being mindful of the times in which the country finds itself, traveled with a comparatively skeletal staff, taking into consideration, the economic situation in the country and bearing in mind, the need for frugal and prudent spending,” he explained.
Magnus Kofi Amoatey, therefore, called for people to stop dragging the health of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, into politics.
“The Speaker is mindful of the fact that, in the course of their duties, Members of the House may disagree on issues on the floor, but these are all based on procedures, which govern the work of the House and which are strictly adhered to without fear or favour.
“The office will advise that the health issues of the Speaker and that of other office bearers are not politicised as anybody could be taken ill at any time. It is an undeniable fact that the Membership of the House is one whole group, with a common agenda and destiny,” the statement said.
