Tuesday, 4 October 2016

MY TAKE ON THE RECENT ISSUES REGARDING THE 2016 NUGS CONGRESS



Iddi Muhayu-Deen Writes...

Quite regrettably, a few friends of mine who hitherto, never questioned my objectivity in NUGS matters are surprisingly beginning to do that because of my position on the current brouhaha that has characterized the organization of this year's Congress. To start with, I wish to state on record that I haven't jettisoned my principles and that, I am the same Iddi of NUGS fame they've always known. 

I have been very consistent throughout this impasse. All I fight for, is to ensure that we don't have two NUGS congresses and for that matter, two sets of NUGS executives, which would render the Union, USELESS. That is why I wanted NEC to make the necessary compromise and agree on ONE VENUE for the congress willy-nilly. Unfortunately all my efforts have proven futile even at this penultimate moment. 

Now, to set a few records straight, I have strong reservations on the propriety of the decision of the chairman of NEC to VOTE TWICE in order to make a case for Hohoe. My reasons are that, this action defeats the very fundamental principle upon which every election in this World is hinged. That is the principle of ONE MAN ONE VOTE, which is NONNEGOTIABLE. I therefore can't be a party to this democratic blunder occasioned by the president's action. 

No where in the NUGS Constitution does it say that the President or any officer of the Union can vote more than once. And throughput my years in NUGS and in student activism, I have never heard nor experienced this democratic absurdity. Not in NUGS and not in any other disciplined organization. Article 40(g) of the NUGS Constitution, which says that the President shall have a casting vote is NOT a departure from this established practice.

Essentially, a casting vote, is one that is cast to break a tie. So the president/chairman only votes if his vote will make a difference or break a tie. How can the president vote to deliberately cause a tie and still go ahead to vote again in order to break that tie? This is highly preposterous. The President has ONLY ONE VOTE and he can decide when to exercise it, preferably, to break a tie. 

I also found something very intriguing in this whole arrangement. The outgoing GUPS President, Elorm Mawuli who earlier issued a statement, where he made a strong case against Hohoe and essentially suggested that going to Hohoe was the most risky thing to do, shockingly made a U-turn and voted for Hohoe at the NEC meeting. Maybe there are two Hohoes I'm unaware of. Don't u love this chap? 

My personal opinion on the way forward is that, as indicated by the aspirants, they should go ahead and BOYCOTT both congresses if they were to come off at all. All SRCs and LNUGS executives should also do same because they ought not to waste their scares resources to go and vote for candidates who would eventually have credibility issues. The students vigilantes  must resist that.

They should, in the stead, give these NEC members one last opportunity, which should not go beyond a week, to meet again and think with their head rather than with their stomach in order to settle on ONE VENUE in the interest of NUGS. Anything short of that, I'm afraid, would take this Union to those dark days where we are going to have two sets of NUGS executives fighting each other at the expense of the ordinary student. 

#Mutashi
#TheNonsenseMustStop
#StudentsDeserveBetter
#NecMustActImmediately

This piece was compiled by a concerned Ghanaian in the business of OCCUPYING HEARTS and MINDS for the love of God and country.
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN

Youth Activist/Student Activist
Former NUGS Secretary
(0245335197)

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