Who is proposing a 7-year tenure for our Presidents? – IMANI Ghana Boss

Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President and CEO of Africa's award winning think tank Imani Ghana, has shared his disapproval of a proposal by MP for Tafo/Pankrono, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei that, the term of presidency should be extended to seven (7)years where the elected person will not be allowed to seek reelection. 

Below is Mr Cudjoe’s reaction to the call on facebook:

We do not need to give them even an extra second in office after the first 4 years. Folks, what plagues this country is not for want of longevity in presidential tenures, it is the lack of preparedness of the political class to be in office and be in charge. It is the absence of costing their flight-by-night propaganda plans they call manifestos.

In the last three elections, we in Ghana have had to suffer the paralysing but vaunted and vaguely costed (not costed at all mostly) promises and plans of some political parties as below.

1. Provide free electricity to the masses by means of 'permanent magnets'.

2. 'Grow' donkeys in sufficient numbers to transform the agricultural capacity of the North, in an integrated pastoral system in which the donkeys provide both free 'fertilizer' and mechanization-substitutes.

3. Mobilize internal resources to the tune of $840 billion in a year!

4. Construct a pipeline from the newly discovered Western offshore oil fields to the North as part of an integrated petroleum complex.

5. Construct a 111 km gas pipeline and plant in a year!

So, I say in 4 years, a far seeing political party should stop promising to take care of every one in every thatch house, mud house, cottage and brick houses. The party should just do the OBVIOUS by focusing on at least one of our major infrastructure problems with water, electricity, bad roads, energy.

Better still no far seeing political office holder should be appointing district chief

executives from Accra and collecting all taxes into a cesspool, a man hole, a bottom less pit in Accra.

Every district should be given an opportunity to raise local taxes and 70% of it be used in developing the districts. 7 years for what? To suffer the miasma, the decadence and the mediocrity? NO! NO! NO!

Post by Franklin Cudjoe.

Currently, presidential term in Ghana is four years (4 years), allowed on two terms subject to elections.