“UEW award in your honour will dishonour you” – IMANI to Prof. Ocquaye
The IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has asked the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Ocquaye, to reconsider an Honorary Doctorate Degree award the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) have proposed to confer on him.
The policy think tank says the controversies surrounding the University currently makes the honour problematic, taking the reputation of the renowned Political Scientist and leader of Ghana’s legislature into consideration and may end up dishonouring him instead.
In a letter signed by the think tank’s president, Franklin Cudjoe, sighted by Ghanasonline, it states the Speaker should reject the honour at least, in the meantime until the scuffle surrounding UEW is resolved.
“Sadly, I should discourage you from accepting the UEW honours, at least until the reported charges and accusations of open defiance of our courts, precociously tailored opprobrium of senior statesmen and crucially the seeming illegitimacy of the current leadership as evidenced from the protracted legal battles it is saddled with are completely dealt with”, the letter indicated.
The letter further noted if Prof. Ocquaye “must need and indeed accept any new honours, they must add immense value above your current impeccable credentials- Further, any such grace to be bestowed on Rt. Honourable Speaker must not come from controversial quarters where perennial leadership struggle has been so bitter and likely to impugn professional academic integrity.”
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Mr. Cudjoe’s certainty of the decision coming from partial quarters of the leadership of the university, was not left out in the letter. This he believes could mare the integrity of the good old Professor and the legislature as a whole.
“I am most certain that such a decision was at best promoted by one half of the University’s leadership while the other part could only look on forlornly. Such important academic honour to be bestowed on our academically renowned political scientist, reverend minister and above all the Speaker of our Parliament must not be mired in needless controversy. In these days of littered awards, one for our Speaker must be above idle chatter.”
Also, the conferment of the award, which is intended to honour the Hon. Speaker, Ocquaye, would rather dishonour him in the end.
“I know in this worrying matter of UEW honourary award, you will take a decision that best serves your long-held quest for and actually lived excellence, fairness and respect for the rule of law. As it stands, the intended UEW award in your honour will dishonour you”, the letter concluded.
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