Four-year presidential term not enough – Dr. Lawrence Tetteh

Founder of World Miracle Outreach, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh has joined the fray regarding the extension of the four-year presidential term currently being practised per the constitution in the country.

Echoing the words of Dr. Samiu Kwadwo Nuamah, MP for Kwadaso Constituency, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh argued that the four-year term was not enough for government to implement its projected policies.

“My biggest challenge is that the four-year span for the leadership is not enough. This is Ghana. This is Africa. This is not Europe where we have all the systems and everything in place that there is continuity”, the revered man of God explained in an interview with GhanaWeb at the launch of the Awake Africa Ghana Mission last Saturday.

Comparing the governance system in Europe to that of Ghana, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh posited that unlike Ghana, there is hardly any change in staff at the presidency or in Parliament in Europe or America or Asia. He held the assertion that a minimum of 6 years would rather suffice in helping a new government fulfil its campaign projects.

“When government changes hand in Europe, in America or in Asia, the staff in the ministries do not change hands. The staff at the presidency do not change hands, the staff at the prime minister’s office do not change hands. Staff at the Parliament do not change hands. But in this part of the world we live in, everything changes. So let us give our leadership six years at least to be able to formulate, settle down and put things together”, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh added.

The outspoken cleric claimed that a new government ‘wastes’ the first two years of assuming office to settle down and put things in place, with the third year set aside for campaigning. Thus, there is not enough time to implement policies.

Calls for the extension of presidential term

It can be recounted that the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Constituency, Dr. Samiu Kwadwo Nuamah recently called for the revision of Ghana’s four-year presidential term by extending it to a few more years.

He held the belief that extending the number of years would enable the government in power accomplish goals and promises that were made to the electorates.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings also advocated two five-year terms, which he believed would be enough for Presidents serving under a constitutional democracy.

According to him, in most four-year terms, the first year is used in getting acclimatized to the office, and the last year turns into a political crusade of campaigns, leaving about a year or less depending on the political climate.

During the International Conference of African Philosophy and studies at the University of Ghana in August 2011, former President John Agyekum Kufuor also renewed calls for an extension of the tenure of presidents, saying the framers of the 1992 constitution may have overlooked the fact that a four-year presidency is not enough for effective development.

According to him, the constraints of leading a developing nation like Ghana require more than four years to make any meaningful impact in terms of development.



The Awake Africa Ghana Mission movement

The Awake Africa Ghana Mission is a non-political, non-governmental group that was established to revive and renew the spirit of Pan-Africanism across the continent and the diaspora.

The movement has been the brainchild of Apostle Piesie Okyere Darko since 2002, while in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)