Audio Attachment:Listen to Kwesi Pratt Jnr. |
Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt has taken a swipe at the government for dissolving the Governing Council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) following the recent crisis on the campus involving the authorities and students.
The students embarked on a protest to register their displeasure with certain decisions taken by the University authorities at the behest of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso.
The demonstration turned violent as the protesters destroyed private and public properties on campus.
Following the incident, the government sent a delegation with the Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, as leader to meet with the authorities and stakeholders to resolve the conflict.
The Governing Council of the school was subsequently dissolved and the government set up a 7-member interim Council with oversight responsibilities over the University.
But government's decision received a strong backlash with some groups like University Association of Ghana (UTAG), Teachers & Educational Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU) and Occupy Ghana as well as a section of the public, questioning the basis for the interim Council, and further saying the dissolution of the main Council was illegal.
Kwesi Pratt, speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", also questioned the legality of the dissolution of the main Council and the constitution of the interim Council to oversee the affairs of the University, saying the government cannot usurp any of the powers vested by law in the appointing authorities.
“The emergency powers conferred on the President will never allow him to violate the constitution. Because even emergency powers, it is regulated by law…but we have lawyers today who are saying, under the circumstances, the President can invoke his emergency powers, dismiss Vice Chancellor, set aside the University Council and do what he likes…Is what happened at KNUST a national emergency warranting the invocation of the emergency powers of the President?” he quizzed.
He further wondered how the government would dissolve the Council by removing some members but maintain four members it appointed before the incident at the University, on the interim Council.
Mr. Pratt also criticized the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso and the University Council saying the students don't deserve to be treated as children and for that matter make certain strict rules for them.
He believed that the students' aggression stemmed from the fact that the authorities were running the University as a Senior High School.
He sought to understand how the authorities would decide to mix the male halls with females and send males to female halls without any confrontation from the students.
To him, the decisions of the authorities which called for demonstration by the students do not make "sense".
“You want to increase the population of females. At the female residence, you’re now admitting men there and transferring to the male residence. I can’t simply understand this…In the same breath, we want to increase the population of women on the campuses, but the existing facilities of women we’re giving it to the men or mixing it with men”, he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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KNUST SAGA CLEARLY REVEALS HOW FUNNY MANY GHANAIANS COULD BECOME. IT SAD THAT MANY GHANAIANS PAY ATTENTION TO SIDE ISSUES THAN SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS. THEY ACT AND EXPRESS THEIR EMOTIONS TO WRONG PERSONS, WRONG PLACES AND THE WRONG TIME. THE GOVERNMENT ACTED PROMPTLY TO STOP THE RAMPAGE OF THE KNUST STUDENTS. ALL THE SO CALLED STAKE HOLDERS, FOLDED THEIR ARMS TO LOOK ON HELPLESSLY WHEN THEY WERE NEEDED MOST TO STOP THE SENSELESS ACT. THE EMERGENCY DECISIONS, THOUGH NOT ENTIRELY PERFECT, WAS NECESSARY TO STOP THE CHAOS. JUST AFTER THAT EVERY TOM, HARRY AND ***barred word*** IN GHANA BECAME LAWYERS AND PROMOTERS OF LEGALITY TO CONDEMN THE SAVING INTERVENTION OF GOVERNMENT. THIS IS UNGRATEFULNESS AND HYPOCRISY. NO MATTER ONE MIGHT JUDGE, THE GOVERNMENT SHOWED LEADERSHIP TO TAKE A PRECISE PRAGMATIC STEPS TO CONTROL SITUATION AND BROUGHT ORDER. INDEED IT IS THE ORDER CREATED BY GOVERNMENT THAT HAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALL OTHERS TO EXPRESS WHAT HAS NOW BECOME THEIR RIGHT AS STAKE HOLDERS HENCE THE THE DEMAND OF ALL, RECKLESS STUDENTS, DESPOTIC MANAGEMENTS, DISPASSIONATE EDUCATORS AND HYPOCRITICAL ONLOOKERS TO BECOME ADVOCATES OF THE RULE OF LAW AND INDICATORS FOR ILLEGALITY. IT INGRATITUDE TO APPRECIATE THE THE BOLD AND PRECISE STEPS THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PLAYED TO CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF THE IMPASSE. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THE RIGHT FOCUS TO ADDRESS THE CAUSES AND THE EXTENT OF THE RAMPAGE TO EXPOSE AND REPAIR THE WEAKNESS EXHIBITED BY THE SO CALLED STAKEHOLDERS TO AVOID ANY FURTHER INNACTION TO MAINTAIN A SERENE AND CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE UNIVERSITY.
Uncle kwasi, are you knowledgeable than the lawyers when it comes to matters relating to practical law? The president is an astute lawyer and has said on several platforms that he would not do anything to demean democracy and it's attendant rule of law. He effectively evoked the powers that have been conferred on him by the constitution and rightly took the decision with regards to the KNUST saga. And you have a problem with that? Then comes the minority that the education minister and the man in charge of the tertiary education should resign. For the NDC every effective minister must resign in the wake of a problem which was not caused directly by them. Kwasi and NDC, do you sincerely have the country at heart?
Kwesi Pratt the runaway man is still here talking through his mandibles.Hey Democracy has come for everyone to say whatever pls nobody usurped any powers.This is one hell of a quick witted ,Astute lawyer rolled into one in Akuffo Addo.He is decisive and save the situation there are eggs on your faces.What you thought will escalate is being managed,UTAG strike is off,Otumfuo is on and the IMC will work shaaaame
Bro Kwesi, KNUST authorities should be able to stop wanton display of nakedness by young men on the campus. The student leaders should clean their act by ensuring basic human decency during their 'morale'.
Mr know all who has an opinion on every issue aahbaaa