Proposal for 5 years Presidential terms is set for disaster especially if we have bad president
Executive Director of the African Institute of Strategic Studies, Dr. Jonathan Asante-Otchere, has disagreed with the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendation to extend Ghana’s presidential term from four years to five years, arguing that the proposed change would not bring any significant improvement to the country’s development trajectory.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, August 1, Dr. Asante-Otchere said the length of a presidential term is not the major factor that determines national progress, but rather the quality of leadership and the effectiveness of policies implemented by those entrusted with political authority.
He expressed concern that extending the presidential term could have negative consequences if future administrations fail to meet the expectations of citizens, as it would require the public to endure poor governance for a longer period before having the opportunity to change leadership through elections.
“I have already condemned the presidential term because I felt that it will not make any significant difference. My view is that if you are thinking that we are going to have a good president every now and then like the current one that we have, what if we have a bad one? That will mean that the ordinary citizen is going to suffocate for a long period under that regime.
The Constitutional Review Committee also recommended that the Chief Justice should have a fixed term of 10 years, a proposal intended to promote stability and prevent uncertainty in Ghana’s judicial leadership.
However, Dr. Asante-Otchere raised questions about how such arrangements would affect qualified individuals who may not have the required number of years remaining before reaching retirement age.
“The Chief Justice’s fixed term of ten years is to ensure stability and prevent some kind of tinkering, but my question is if you don’t have ten years on your side based on your age, will that mean that you will not qualify to be the Chief Justice? Or if it happens that you are the senior-most and you have to be given but because you don’t have ten years.”
