By Loretta B Manele
I only wish to say that 2024 has been a record year for overseas travel by parliamentarians.
Matthew Wale, Leader of Opposition made the statement in parliament when contributing to the Sine Die Motion on Thursday 19th Dec.
He expressed that our health system has lacked basic medicine and supplies throughout our islands yet a lot of money was spent on travel.
Wale told parliament that there is a need for discipline in the matter of overseas travel.
“Some criteria or tests should be used to determine if a minister should go on an overseas travel or not or if officials should go instead”
Wale also stated that the parliamentary entitlement commission should also reduce the overseas per diem to more reasonable rates because it is too high.
He added that this perhaps may be one of the reasons many are going on overseas travel.
Wale stressed that the size of delegations going overseas also continues to be an issue.
In this regard, he said large delegations as we know are rarely effective if anything other than perhaps sightseeing.
“This needs to change if we are serious about government challenges that we face and the cashflow situation that government continues to experience”
Wale noted that they must not forget that time away overseas is time away from work here at home and it will have an impact on the work of ministries that colleagues are in charge of.
