A leading member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Mike Nii Nortey Oquaye, has in a swift response disagreed somewhat with a proposal by a retired diplomat, K. B Asante, that the presidential term be extended from four years to seven years to allow leaders to complete the much-needed national projects saying �because of the incompetence of President Mills�, Ghanaians should stick to the four year mandate; until the current president is kicked out of office.
The NPP activist opines that since a person can be assessed with the little he is given, Ghanaians can safely conclude that the tenure of the country�s number gentleman has been a �total fiasco�.
To him, the retired diplomat�s suggestion can best work out with Nana Addo as President, since President Mills would likely go into Ghana�s history books as the �first four year term president�.
Article 66 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana says: �A person elected as President shall, subject to clause (3) of this article, hold office for a term of four years beginning from the date on which he is sworn in as President.�
Clause (2) said: �A person shall not be elected to hold office as President of Ghana for more than two terms.�
The former diplomat, in an interview with the Globe newspaper described the current four years as �a bit short� saying, �I can see a president with a development plan. When he comes into power there are many things in the development plan he would want to do. However, his short term is not able to make all these things feasible.�
Mr. K.B Asante contended that the current four-year ceiling on the duration of a presidential term limits the ability of Ghanaian leaders to fully roll out their development plan
�Ghana needs a president who would help improve the educational system in the country. A president who will pay teachers very well and will also be strict on parents who don�t send their children to school, even if it means sending them to jail just to force them to send their children to school,� the former diplomat said.
But speaking on Oman FM�s National Agenda on Tuesday, Lawyer Mike Oquaye posited that though Mr. K.B. Asante�s proposition is laudable, the simmering tension and constant bickering among senior members of the governing NDC is enough basis to give the NDC a term of four years, since they (NDC) will definitely stall the country�s developmental progress with their in-fighting when given a seven year first term.
�All Ghanaians have seen the troubles among the big shots in the NDC. Today, the National Chairman, writes a letter of protest, tomorrow, you will see Mr. Totobi-Quakyi, Kwamena Ahwoi, P.V. Obeng and Ato Ahwoi also protesting. If toddlers were experiencing such problems, it wouldn�t have been a big deal�but you have the top guns doing this, then we have to vote them out,� he said.
Source: Chris Joe Quaicoe/Peacefmonline.com
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