KNUST SRC Parliament Council is set to probe further into the School Representative Council’s Executives trip to South Africa.
The School’s Parliament Council was petitioned by leaders of Coalition of Concerned Students, KNUST, to provide immediate investigation into the SRC Executives travel to South Africa in somewhere July,2022.
In a response to the petition signed by Mr. Theophilus Berchie, leader of the group ,the KNUST SRC Parliament stated ,they are aware of the said petition and is ready to probe further into the issues regarding to the trip to South Africa by the SRC Executives.
The group leader, Mr Theophilus Berchie had earlier accused the SRC president of squandering some amount of money belonging to the students and indicated the Executives’ trip to South Africa is not based on merit but to justify the money that has been already squandered.
Background;
PETITION BY COALITION OF CONCERNED STUDENTS OF KNUST TO THE KNUST SRC PARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL, KNUST SRC PARLIAMENT.
Leadership, service, accountability, probity and justice are part of the many things that our student leaders whom we elected according to article 7 of the SRC Constitution as amended 2021, owe to us. In spite of the necessary promises to uphold, defend, and safeguard the good name of the SRC, these leaders however, have by the actions and inactions soiled the good name of the SRC.
It is thus with great penchant for justice and a need to know the truth that as concerned students, we write to your good offices, petitioning that you set up a committee as required by the SRC constitution to investigate the alleged misuse of funds by the SRC President over a trip that was supposed to send him to South Africa.
Madam Speaker, the fact that the general student populace was not timely informed of the trip undertaken by the SRC Executive Committee on Thursday, 24th of June, 2022 and the said expenses that went into it through our parliamentarians was enough reason to raise a reasonable cause of suspicion.
Parliament which is empowered to receive, discuss, approve and vet every budget of the bodies of the SRC according to article 41(b) of the SRC constitution has not even had sitting to approve any monies for the said trip that should have clearly been factored into the semester budget. So then, how was the trip sponsored by monies meant for development of students and their collective interests used?
We concerned petitioners would wish that your investigation would boil down to three major issues:
1. Whether Parliament approved the said monies that were used to embark on the trip to South Africa.
2. Whether the SRC President rightly informed Parliament as demanded by article 22(10) of the SRC Constitution indicated in writing two weeks prior notice of his intention to travel
3.And finally, whether the President squandered the money intended for the trip on his terms or rather returned the money to the Accounts Office of the Directorate of Student Affairs if he indeed did not travel
Madam Speaker, we would wish to remind you that article 97(1) of the SRC constitution entreats that if any executive officer of the SRC is found guilty to be in violation of his oath of office or a provision of this constitution or misappropriated funds that is a ground for the removal of the executive officer.
We would like to entreat that your ability to thoroughly investigate the said allegations and to prove that your office is indeed a fair one. The vestiges of student leadership and its next phase to avoid the emergence of corrupt, capricious, and insensitive persons all rest in your hands.
Please be reminded that our petition is also in line with our right to request information per the passing of the Right to Information Act, Act 989 where in section 1 of the same act, an individual has the right to information. This petition would also entreat that you make the findings of the committee public for the entire student body and to clear up and instance of doubt in the current administration.
You have a mission to indeed prove to the student body that you would be thorough with this investigation and that students can still have an iota of faith in the administration that began with faith.
Note: We rightly petitioned the office of the Deputy Speaker, on the basis that the SPEAKER lacks credibility to preside over an allegation he is involved and to ensure that the parliament perform due diligence in this matter
Yours faithfully,
SIGNED
THEOPHILUS BERCHIE
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 4
Leader Coalition of Concerned Students, KNUST.
Source: John Antwi Boasiako | Contributor
