Mr. President,
I write this letter with all the respect that is due your office and I wish to state that it has no political strings attached. I am a student of the University Of Ghana where you attended and a Vandal as you are.
Fellow Vandal, I am thrilled at your style of governance. Day to day activities of the presidency are no longer mysteries. I get the latest updates anytime I visit my Facebook or twitter accounts, the presidency’s website and JDM.com. Listening to the interviews you granted BBC, Aljazeera and other media houses both home and abroad about the state of our economy gave me hope and optimism about the future -there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Mr. President, to curb our country’s economic morass, you put in place some stringent measures most of which are commendable but some of these measures are having direct impact on us students. Just this semester, two of my very good friends: Richard Atuahene and Abdul Al Hassan deferred their courses because they could not pay their fees. The recent directive to make us pay our own utility bills will make even more students drop out of school. We know you are committed to quality education but the above might contradict it.
Once, a Roman General in the quest to bring peace to his rebellious province, killed all its citizens, even his fellow Romans were shocked. One of them wrote, “solitudenum faciunt, pacem appellant” which means “they create desolation, and call it peace” To allow students to “die” so that the economy can live. Whether cost shifting or cost sharing, the ordinary student will feel the impact. I do not see the essence of a buoyant economy full of school drop outs. It can go a long way to undermine your goal to eradicate extreme poverty and in turn breed unpatriotic students.
Fellow Vandal, as clearly stated in Article 1 of the 1992 constitution, “The sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised…”As our representative, we have every right to scrutinize every detail of your administration. The responses you give to us when we express our views about your governance are not the best. Statements like, you are a dead goat, and take into consideration only criticisms that come from those who have been presidents before are not good for our democracy. If that is the case then please do not come to people who have not been presidents before to solicit for votes come 2016: Because we will not listen.
Mr. President, we need you to address these issues, please the decision to make us students pay our own utility bills will drain the typical Ghanaian student and make many other students drop out of school. V-mate please let us feel the “BETTER GHANA” promise. And please let our suggestions and views carry weight in your administration.
Sincerely yours,
Vandal Felix Frimpong
(+233243194388)
