Prof. Raymong Atuguba
Professor Raymond Atuguba had in an article accused the president for brushing aside the rule of law by attending the investiture of Prof. Anthny Afful-Broni to replace Prof Avoke as the Vice Chancellor of University of Winneba. In the write-up, the Law Professor charged the president desist from supporting illegality.
In a response, Dr. Kobbina Arthur Kennedy in a similar article titled made fun of the learned law, saying he (Prof. Atuguba) misfired on UEW.
Read the full article under the hand of Arthur K…
PROF. ATUGUBA MISFIRES ON UEW (18th September 2018)
The 4th V-C of UEW in Winneba, was inaugurated yesterday, with the President in attendance, amidst some controversy.
On the eve of the investiture, Prof. Raymond Atuguba made the explosive charge that the removal of his predecessor, Prof. Avoke, was for ethnic reasons and accused the President of ignoring the rule of law in supporting and attending the investiture of Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni.
Our country is very fragile and indeed one of our weaknesses is our ethnic faultline. Despite its faults, partisan politics’ most potent argument is that it requires associations based on ideology and not, presumably, on ethnicity. Unfortunately, beneath the ideology of our parties, lurk uncomfortable ethnic alliances. Prof. Atuguba is highly educated and a former Executive Secretary to the President– of another party. Thus, his claims must be taken seriously.
While making his charge, he asserted, rather immodestly that, “God has given me the immense Grace to be able to say publicly what most Ghanaians know, see, are aware of but mutter to themselves in hushed tones”. Growing up, I was schooled that salt should not tout its own sweetness. But to take him at his word, why is he not naming the faceless cabal? Are Doctors Duku and Bekoe from the wrong ethnicities too? Are the state institutions part of this ethnic witchunt?
The Prof’s accusations against the President appear unwarranted and unfair. It seems that the lawyers for the former V.C. should have made a better case and secured an injunction preventing the investiture of the new V.C. In the absence of such a decision the President’s attendance was not illegal. He can be faulted for many things, but this was not one of them. Prof. Atuguba, if he wants to, must call out the President rather than resorting to misinformation and blaming his advisers. In the end, the President must be accountable for his decisions.
Surprisingly, when things heated up, Prof. Atuguba abandoned his clients. In the face of the “faceless cabal” who were trying to remove Prof. Avoke on ethnic grounds, Atuguba should have stepped forward, not backwards. What would have happened if Thurgood Marshall had stepped backwards when things heated up during the civil rights struggle? The struggle would have stalled. And the same thing would have happened if Ruth Bader Ginsburg had retreated in her fight for women’s’ equality.
If the judge he refers to as ” one of the fairest” was truly fair, how could he be prevented from delivering justice? Is obstruction of justice not a crime? Why is he not exposing those who are, in his view, obstructing justice?
It seems to me that Prof. Atuguba should be in court, exposing the faceless cabal, naming names and challenging the courts to live up to our motto, “Freedom and Justice” instead making unsubstantiated claims against a faceless cabal, the University, the courts and the government.
Finally, he needs to provide “further and better particulars ” regarding his charge of ethnocentric dismissals and appointments. I supported him, against the Chief Justice when he did research on how the Supreme Court’s rulings relate to politics, because he had data. He should support his claims or apologize to UEW, the courts and Ghana.
While we must trust his good intentions, we must verify his serious charges.
Let’s have Justice and Truth.
Arthur K
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