Comparing the Adenta riot incident to that of KNUST, Prof Gyampo asks, “Should we dissolve Akufo-Addo government over Adenta incident?”
He reasoned that since “government heard the cries of the residents in the area regarding the carnage yet [did not] act on it until the violent protest by the residents, then the dissolution of the University Council as the remedy for the KNUST situation should be applied to the government.
I will make this brief. The pronouncements of a professor of such standing should not be based on personal preferences or emotions, but on sound reasoning backed by law.
Government operates according to law, not according to personal preferences of individuals.
1. By asking the question above, the good professor has exposed his ignorance about the very governance he is supposed to be an expert of.
2. While the dissolution of the KNUST Council is within the legal authority of the government, granted by the constitution of Ghana, the only body with the power to dissolve the government is the citizens of Ghana through the ballot.
3. By his assertions, he is at the same time implying that the caution given by the Vice Chancellor of UG that “We do not want what happened at KNUST to happen here at the University of Ghana…I will not sit for things to escalate,” is wrong. Perhaps he should advise the VC accordingly.
4. While the completion of the footbridge would lessen traffic accidents in the area, that in itself is no guarantee that no one would be killed after completion. The N1 Highway has several footbridges, but fatal accidents such as the one at Adenta still happen.
5. Governments are constrained by what they can do at any given moment by the financial resources at hand. Did the KNUST situation arise because of lack of financial resources?
6. No institution in society is above the law, and it’s high time we do away with the misguided and pompous attitude that only those in academia know what is best for academia.
When those in charge of public institutions demonstrate gross incompetence, they are at the same time inviting outsiders with supervisory authority over them to intervene in their affairs.
Such was the case of the EC when the Supreme Court gave it directions about voter registration, and such is the situation with the President dissolving the council at KNUST.
7. By the statement, “Dissolving a Governing Council because of study demonstration only exposes a certain hidden agenda beyond the rather ignorant explanations being bandied around by some inexperienced appointees, Prof Gyampo has not only exposed his ignorance of the law, he has demonstrated his disrespect for his own VC and people like Profs Yankah and Frimpong Boateng.
These are also appointees of the government. 8. Universities are not sacred cows to be left alone no matter what.
The situation at KNUST called for emergency measures. To suppose that those who supervised the evolution of violence at KNUST are the only ones who can administer the University is ludicrous.
Granted, the various unions have their constitutions that direct who represents them at the University Council, failure to envisage the possibility of an emergency situations that calls for alternative representation is the sole failure of the unions. Those who supervise failure cannot be the same ones to bring about excellence.
The unions’ entrenchment and high sense of infallibility must be matched by competence. No one can hold the nation to ransom.
Dr. Richard Amoako Baah
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