The Presidency Is Not A Sabbatical Leave!

Mr. K. B. Asante, a late diplomat and Nkrumaist politician, is not a initial Ghanaian citizen to call for a prolongation of a presidential reign from a stream four-year regime to 7 years (See “Extend Term of Presidency to Seven Years – K. B. Asante” Ghanaweb.com 2/21/12). Shortly before handing over a reins of governance, for instance, former President J. A. Kufuor had released a identical call, suggestively. Back then, in 2007, or thereabouts, many of us zealous watchers of a Ghanaian domestic stage felt annoyingly shy about a same, being that Mr. Kufuor had done his idea shortly after relishing a wealthy celebration with then-Nigerian boss and former strongman, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. The latter had begun display transparent signs of hostility to democratically relinquish a reins of governance, as stipulated by his country’s august Constitution. He would cynically refinement his arch-lieutenant, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, out of a competition to attain him.

The initial problem with Mr. Asante’s call for a depot – or reign – examination of a presidency is that it lacks sequence or balance and so is really expected to put a nation into a tizzy, so my utterly probable faith in a ground of such call being mischievously tinged. For instance, how do we, as an electorate, opinion a presidential claimant into energy for an initial reign of 7 years and afterwards go behind to a polls after a latter reign has elapsed, in sequence to opinion to keep a presidential obligatory for an additional measly reign of 3 years? And what if that obligatory loses his/her reelection bid, as appears to be a transparent possibility, formed on benefaction circumstances, for instance? Then what happens? Do we afterwards do divided with this seven-by-three regime, in sequence to concede a jubilant challenger for a presidency to oversee for 7 years, or, perhaps, even force him/her to sequence for a trifling three-year term, given this was a pre-election devise or agenda, and afterwards run for reelection, 3 years later, in sequence to make adult for a preempted initial necessity of 4 years, in sequence to make adult for a residue of a initial 7 years? And afterwards run, once again, in sequence to make adult for a constitutionally stipulated second three-year term? Does a reader get a deposit of such electoral insanity?

In essence, it appears to me that in sequence to safeguard electoral sanity, maybe a revised presidential reign ought to be extended from a stream four-year reign to a half-decade or a five-year term. Then also arises a doubt of a parliamentary depot review. Since a benefaction Fourth-Republican Constitution binds parliamentarians to a four-year term, only like a presidency, would this automatically indicate fluctuating a parliamentary reign to 7 years, with a probability of a reign extent being imposed on parliamentarians, only like a presidency since, underneath a stream inherent regime, a celebration in energy is mandated to designate many of a cupboard members from a National Assembly? Then also, what happens during a levels of a district and informal assemblies?

The fact of a matter is that there is positively no debate evidence, whatsoever, both on a African continent and elsewhere, indicating that countries with some-more than a customary four-year (or leap-year) presidential tenures are any improved administered, or governed, than those adhering to a American-type of presidential tenure. The grave and incontrovertibly concept existence is that a longer any supervision stays in power, a some-more hurtful and conceited a pivotal operatives become. Besides, any personality who finds it intensely formidable to both lay out and exercise a cohesive growth bulletin within twelve months of a arrogance of a reins of governance, contingency have erroneously envisaged his job, going in, as one that is a organic homogeneous of a sabbatical leave or an extended vacation.

But even on latter score, those of us who have had a utterly intellectually and spiritually sensitive and lovely payoff of being awarded a sabbatical leave from a hectic, year-round educational schedules, would be discerning to indicate out that a prolific sabbatical leave is frequency any reduction chaotic than a regular, or workaday, educational schedules. In other words, any presidential aspirant who finds a stream four-year presidential reign to be woefully unsound contingency really have opted for a wrong profession.

And if any well-meaning Ghanaian citizen were to ask me what a many dire problem is on a inhabitant domestic landscape, presently, my prompt and above-board response would tersely be as follows: The benefaction stand of Ghanaian leadership, quite on a pseudo-social approved side of a parliamentary aisle, woefully lacks a sacrificial fervour of dedicated neo-pioneers like Dr. Danquah and a other seminal leaders of a earlier United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). Alas, once that common, joined front was cynically and deviously breached by that pseudo-socialist off-sider from hell, a primal abuse of Ali Baba and his forty thieves descended on a pates! This, of course, is a comfortless story of a tumble of a House of Danquah.

Adwuampong Akonwakese Nana ‘Koampa-Agyeman, we say: to heck with all those looking to Woyome-Gorgormized a providentially authorised inherent Republic of Ghana! Hallelujah, Seremu ’Sei!

*Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of English, Journalism and Creative Writing during Nassau Community College of a State University of New York, Garden City. He is Director of The Sintim-Aboagye Center for Politics and Culture and author of “Dr. J. B. Danquah: Architect of Modern Ghana” (iUniverse.com, 2005). E-mail: okoampaahoofe@optimum.net.

Comments ( ): Have Your Say

Source: http://opinion.myjoyonline.com/pages/feature/201202/81896.php