Bawumia’s intervention on Public Universities Bill insincere - Clement Apaak

Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament Dr. Clement Apaak has described Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as insincere.

The legislator says the supposed meeting between the Vice President and some stakeholders in the education sector over the Public University Bill (PUB) passage is insincere.

He indicated that the second gentleman of the land should not behave as if he knew nothing about the bill because he was part of the government and cabinet meetings that gave the bill approval before it was brought to parliament.

He said the Vice President has been part of the processes that saw the bill brought before parliament hence cannot pretend he knew nothing about it.

In a statement, the MP of Builsa South said: “Are we to believe that the Akufo-Addo government, his Minister for Education and the Chairman of the Education Committee have acted on the bill; withdrawing and relaying it without the knowledge of Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia?”

This whole thing about an intervention by Dr. Bawumia is a ploy to promote the Akufo-Addo preferred Dr. Bawumia and Mathew Opoku ticket for 2024. NPP members in opposing camps are not comfortable with the duo hence schemes such as this should be expected in these last few days of the current government.

So don’t be deceived, Bawumia’s so-called intervention is insincere, it’s to let him look innocent and to seem distant from the challenges the current government, which he and Mathew Opoku Prempeh are key members of, has had with the academic fraternity.”

Meanwhile, he has slammed the Education Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh for peddling lies about the status of the bill to stakeholders.

He said contrary to claims by the Minister that stakeholders were consulted before the bill was sent to parliament to be passed, it has rather emerged that there was no consultation.

According to him, his personal investigation had revealed that some leaders of UTAG had an interaction with the minister who claimed that it was UTAG-UG that was circulating the old one mischievously hence they should disregard it.

He had also assured them that the Attorney General was on the bill and would send them copies.

After some interrogation, it was discovered that the PUB that UG had differed in the Memorandum with a slight change in the Council Composition.

This then prompted an agitation from stakeholders following which the meeting with the Vice President was held.

Following the second reading of the Public University Bill (PUB) in Parliament yesterday, 15th December 2020, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG met the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to express their disgust with the rush in sending the Bill to Parliament without completing the agreed stakeholder engagements.

At the meeting, the Vice President, on behalf of the Government, agreed with UTAG.

He further upheld the directive of the Speaker of Parliament that the Parliamentary Select Committee of Education (PSCE) should carryout thorough stakeholder engagements and report back to Parliament.

Following this meeting, all process leading to the passage of the PUB has been halted.

Meanwhile, UTAG has been given a copy of the revised version of the PUB for their study and consultation with their members.

However, Dr. Apaak believes the action by the Vice President is insincere

In his view, this is an attempt to promote the agenda of the Bawumia and NAPO’s ticket despite for 2024.

This whole thing about an intervention by Dr. Bawumia is a ploy to promote the Akufo-Addo preferred Dr. Bawumia and Mathew Opoku ticket for 2024. NPP members in opposing camps are not comfortable with the duo hence schemes such as this should be expected in these last few days of the current government.

So don’t be deceived, Bawumia’s so-called intervention is insincere, it’s to let him look innocent and to seem distant from the challenges the current government, which he and Mathew Opoku Prempeh are key members of, has had with the academic fraternity.

Read his statement below.

PUB – Bawumia’s so-called Intervention Insincere

In our current arrangements, it’s only the executive arm of government, led by the President and supported by his Vice and Cabinet, which introduces bills to become laws.

It’s common knowledge that before bills are brought to Parliament or the legislature by a Minister, on behalf of the President, the President and his Cabinet must have approved and sanctioned.

Similarly the processes a bill traverses; challenges, stakeholder consultations, amendments, protestations, etc before becoming law are known to, discussed, and guided by the Executive and leadership of the ruling party in Parliament.

Therefore, it’s obvious that vice President Bawumia, just like his boss, Akufo-Addo has been in the knowledge and has sanctioned everything and anything to do with the needless Public Universities Bill.

Is vice President Dr. Bawumia not the Vice President of Akufo-Addo and part of the same government which proposed the PUB bill?

Has Akufo-Addo, his government, which includes Dr. Bawumia and the Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, not defended this needless and useless bill?

Are we to believe that Bawumia didn’t know that the bill was withdrawn and relayed after earlier protestations by stakeholders?

Didn’t Bawumia know that the withdrawal of the bill was to allow further stakeholder consultations, which didn’t happen? And as that didn’t take place, what sanctions have been matted out to the Minister for Education who failed to or refused to do deceived?

Are we to believe that the Akufo-Addo government, his Minister for Education, and the Chairman of the Education Committee have acted on the bill; withdrawing and relaying it without the knowledge of Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia?

This whole thing about an intervention by Dr. Bawumia is a ploy to promote the Akufo-Addo preferred Dr. Bawumia and Mathew Opoku ticket for 2024. NPP members in opposing camps are not comfortable with the duo hence schemes such as this should be expected in these last few days of the current government.

So don’t be deceived, Bawumia’s so-called intervention is insincere, it’s to let him look innocent and to seem distant from the challenges the current government, which he and Mathew Opoku Prempeh are key members of, has had with the academic fraternity.

More specifically, Bawumia’s so-called intervention is to cleanse the ‘sins’ his intended 2024 running mate has committed against the academic community.

I remain a citizen!

Dr. Clement Apaak
MP and MP-Elect for Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament