Some appreciative senior citizens have expressed their admiration for the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, for what they say is his brilliant stewardship of the eighth parliament of Ghana.

On Wednesday, the Speaker was buffeted with praise for the exemplary presets he has been setting about how to steer a hung Parliament, his installment of nationalist ideals in MPs, and his checkmating of the other organs of state, especially the executive.

“The Speaker’s test of the nationalist predisposition of his own MPs through the demand for the recitation of the national pledge is very heartwarming, especially for those of us who miss the days when the average Ghanaian put Ghana first,” Michael Yaw Offei, an international diplomat said.

According to him, the gesture may seem small for some but it is a good way of drilling nationalist consciousness into the minds of the people’s representatives.

“It warms the heart the more when you consider the fact that the poke to nationalism by brilliant Speaker Bagbin has not only come by the way of calls to recite the national pledge or sing the national anthem but also in the Speaker’s deliberate portrayal of our rich Ghanaian fashion”, he added.

Michael Yaw Offei, who has worked with the World Bank said this while speaking in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of a lawn tennis match at the Premier Tennis Court in Tema on Wednesday.

The respected senior citizen who has also worked with the IMF also lauded the Speaker for standing up to the Judiciary and the Executive when they tried to bully members of the Legislature, citing Parliament’s impasse with a court that attacked the MP for Bawku Central.

“Speaker Bagbin’s stand-up objection to the Executive and the Judiciary breaks away from the norm in which parliament was virtually a rubber stamp for the
executive, and established the new precedent in which the legislature asserted its autonomy and power,” Mike Offei said.

“The fact that we have not had a debacle even though parliament is highly polarized between the NPP and the NDC is a testament to Bagbin’s fine abilities
and experience as a legislator", he added.

According to him, the Speaker’s performance makes a case for him to be retained in the next parliament no matter which party wins the 2024 elections.

On his part, Dr. Alphonse Kwao Dorcoo praised the Speaker for his interest in Sports.

“I totally support the Speaker’s analysis that our rush to change the coaches of the senior national team, the Black Stars, anytime the Black Stars do not perform well, is a mistake. I think the right thing to do is to sign for a
a long-term coach who can build a team from scratch and grow with the team,” he said.

Dr. Dorcoo who is a former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery was also speaking on the sidelines of the same tennis match.

“And I think the Speaker is able to make such inciteful analysis because he himself owns a soccer team,” he added.

Like Mr. Michael Yaw Offei, Dr. Dorcoo also urged that no matter who wins the 2024 elections, Speaker Bagbin be maintained in the next parliament so that he can continue to foster positive precedents for parliamentary practice in Ghana.

“I would like to commend the Speaker Bagbin-led parliamentary service board including my good friend, Hon. Abraham Ossei Aidooh, and the hardworking sitting
members of parliament for their good performance so far”. Dr. Alphonse Kwao Dorcoo told journalists.