What can any government do in four years?

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• BAM 12 years ago

  PRESIDENT K 4 STOLE MONEY TO BUILD HOTEL IN FOUR YEARS. BLEW ONOTHER $50 MILLION IN ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. IF YOU INCREASE THE TERM, THEY WILL SELL THE COUNTRY

  PRESIDENT K 4 STOLE MONEY TO BUILD HOTEL IN FOUR YEARS. BLEW ONOTHER $50 MILLION IN ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. IF YOU INCREASE THE TERM, THEY WILL SELL THE COUNTRY

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• Petter Sam 12 years ago

  Mahama in 4 years bought 4 aircraft for 55 million each instead of 35 million,if you add another 4 years, our children will not eat let alone go to school

  Mahama in 4 years bought 4 aircraft for 55 million each instead of 35 million,if you add another 4 years, our children will not eat let alone go to school

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• Agyeman. 12 years ago

  The question should really be what can't any govt not do in 4yrs.Term length is immaterial bcoz its the fight in the dog rather than the dog in the fight that'll matter.The USA has had 4yr terms and its a superpower yet Russi ...
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  The question should really be what can't any govt not do in 4yrs.Term length is immaterial bcoz its the fight in the dog rather than the dog in the fight that'll matter.The USA has had 4yr terms and its a superpower yet Russia and Mexico have had 6yr terms but canot match USA's riches,technology and development.Why has Singapore badly outdone Ghana which got its independence a full 6yrs earlier?

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• yaw, USA 12 years ago

  IF I MAY BE RIGHT, I LEARNT MUTALA MOHAMMED TRANSFORMED NIGERIA IN SIX MONTHS. A VISIONLESS PRESIDENT CAN BE IN OFFICE FOR TEN, TWENTY, THIRTY OR MORE YEARS WITHOUT BRINGING ANY DEVELOPMENT. GHANAIAN PRESIDENTS ARE THE MOST V ...
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  IF I MAY BE RIGHT, I LEARNT MUTALA MOHAMMED TRANSFORMED NIGERIA IN SIX MONTHS. A VISIONLESS PRESIDENT CAN BE IN OFFICE FOR TEN, TWENTY, THIRTY OR MORE YEARS WITHOUT BRINGING ANY DEVELOPMENT. GHANAIAN PRESIDENTS ARE THE MOST VISIONLESS IN THE WORLD. WHAT IS THE SENSE IN ABANDONING ALL PROJECTS INITIATED BY THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT AND START A NEW ONE ALL OVER? THIS HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE AFTER KWAME NKRUMAH. ABANDONED GOVERNMENT PROJECTS SPREADING ACROSS THE BREATHS OF THE COUNTRY WHILES OUR NEW PRESIDENTS KEEP CUTTING SODS FOR NEW ONES EVERYDAY. GO TO UCEW - WINNEBA NORTH CAMPUS AND YOU WILL ATTEST TO WHAT AM TRYING TO PUT ACROSS. NONE OF OUR PRESIDENTS AFTER KWAME NKRUMAH CONTINUED TO DEVELOPE THE PROJECTS HE STARTED. ALL THE PROJECTS STARTED BY J. A KUFFOUR HAVE BEEN ABANDONED WHILES THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT GOES AROUND THE WORLD BEGGING FOR MONEY TO START NEW ONES ALL IN THE NAME OF GETTING THEIR SHARE OF ANY LOAN CONTRACTED.

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• PAUL AFFUL 12 years ago

  just imagine what ndc jdebt thieves wud have done over four yrs, in view of the fact that within the four yrs of the demon attamills rule, the ndc thro demon bettymould and barton odro paid out nearly one billion dollars in f ...
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  just imagine what ndc jdebt thieves wud have done over four yrs, in view of the fact that within the four yrs of the demon attamills rule, the ndc thro demon bettymould and barton odro paid out nearly one billion dollars in fake and bogus jdetbs......and sacked martin amidu....so just imagine what these unpatriotic demonic ndc forces could have done when given more than four yrs.....STUPID KWASI PRATT IS NOT WORKING BUT GOING AROUND DOING THE DIRTY PROPAGANDA OF THE NDC THIEVES SO WHY WONT HE ADVOCATE FOR MORE YRS FOR THE NDC SO THAT HE COULD GO ON CHOPPING CHEAP MONIES FROM THE WICKED NDC THIEVES IN GOVT.

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• LONTO-BOY 12 years ago

  Mr Darko, this is a sensible piece. Mr Kwesi Pratt's suggestion and argument that a 4-year tenure undermines a Government's long-term planning for the county is a ludicrous excuse for incompetence and poor leadership. Mr Prat ...
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  Mr Darko, this is a sensible piece. Mr Kwesi Pratt's suggestion and argument that a 4-year tenure undermines a Government's long-term planning for the county is a ludicrous excuse for incompetence and poor leadership. Mr Pratt has overlooked the fundamental causes of Government failures in a 4-year term. In Ghana, the failures are largely due to endemic corruption and squandering of wealth, ill-thought policies for short term political gains, misallocation of resources and misplaced priorities, over-reliance on foreign loans/aid/grants to fund Government policies and projects, weak leadership and lack of ideological commitment by successive Governments to continue long term policies. In fact, most Government ministers don't even know what policies their Government is pursuing.
  
  If an incumbent Government has a long-term Development plan far beyond its tenure, there's the need for such policies to be debated and approved in Parliament on their sustainability, viability and continuity. Such policies are likely to be continued by the next Government as a national policy, rather than political project.
  
  Of cause, you can give a clueless and inept Government half a century, there will be nothing to show for in terms of long term policy goals and achievements. Rather, a competent and effective Government can make progress even in the early years of a 4-year tenure.

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• Gye Nyame 12 years ago

  I concur with you -- good governance has nothing to do with the number of years in power, otherwise JJ would have created Utopia after 19 years in power. You are absolutely right that Pratt is focusing on the wrong cause of o ...
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  I concur with you -- good governance has nothing to do with the number of years in power, otherwise JJ would have created Utopia after 19 years in power. You are absolutely right that Pratt is focusing on the wrong cause of our problems which is our CHARACTER. Our character is what is letting the country down.

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• MARCUS AMPADU 12 years ago

  Management and patriotism will do it.
  Unfortunately, Ghana nowadays lack these qualities.

  Management and patriotism will do it.
  Unfortunately, Ghana nowadays lack these qualities.

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• fact 12 years ago

  four years is just for planning it is only when you get a second term that you can complete most of your projects please check uk and Germany gets more than four years

  four years is just for planning it is only when you get a second term that you can complete most of your projects please check uk and Germany gets more than four years

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• GHFUO, BE SERIOUS NOT PRIDEFUL! 12 years ago

  U HAVE TO PLAN N HAVE UR JOB IN ORDER BEFORE U ASSUME THE POSITION. IN AFRICA, THESE SO CALLED LEADERS ARE DEVOID OF PLANNING. THEY COME TO LOOT TO ENRICH THEMSELVES. ITS DAT SIMPLE.....

  U HAVE TO PLAN N HAVE UR JOB IN ORDER BEFORE U ASSUME THE POSITION. IN AFRICA, THESE SO CALLED LEADERS ARE DEVOID OF PLANNING. THEY COME TO LOOT TO ENRICH THEMSELVES. ITS DAT SIMPLE.....

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• Prof Lungu 12 years ago

  Bravo, Otchere Darko!

  Bravo, Otchere Darko!

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• John Carslake 12 years ago

  I do not often agree with Kwesi Pratt, but on this, I do. We talk about a four year term but it takes two to three months to get all the Ministers and Deputy Ministers appointed before government can take off. We still haven' ...
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  I do not often agree with Kwesi Pratt, but on this, I do. We talk about a four year term but it takes two to three months to get all the Ministers and Deputy Ministers appointed before government can take off. We still haven't got all the new MCEs and DCEs in place yet. It is the same every time a new President is elected. Then, look at the last year of the term of office; six months before the election government ceases to work at improving the country and switches to winning the election.
  So, we get about three years of 'useful' work out of any one government. The UK does not have a fixed term of four years but not more than five years must elapse between one general election and the next. Furthermore, a few days after the winning party is known, in the UK, Ministers are at their posts in their ministries. There are no hand-over notes, no transition team, just the senior civil servants getting on with things.

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• Nana 12 years ago

  The point raised by Kwesi Pratt is vital for the country. We should abandon our mindsets and analyse carefully what a journalist and writer is recommending. It didn't want to favor any party. He talked reasonably.
  
  Europe, ...
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  The point raised by Kwesi Pratt is vital for the country. We should abandon our mindsets and analyse carefully what a journalist and writer is recommending. It didn't want to favor any party. He talked reasonably.
  
  Europe, America and Asia are not Africa. These continents have gone far in their organization and development. Let's base everything we are doing on our specificities, realities. For instance instead of copying stupiditly the western countries' model of development we could have invented our own based on our history as dominated and exploited people, our social realities in which a human being is place in the centre of everything, is respected and honored. Capitalism does not care.
  
  Let's appropriate ourselves the idea of Pratt and better our development. Kwesi Pratt does not have any hidden agenda or idea. Let's praise him for having raised a very important thing having to do with the future and the development of our nation.

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• concern ghanian 12 years ago

  A GOVERMENT WHO THINK HOW HIS PARTY CAN RULE FOR THOUSAND YEARS, AND NOT HOW HIS COUNTRY CAN IMPROVE IN TEN YEARS IS NOT A GOOD ONE. IN GHANA, GOERMENT WANT TO SPEND NOT TO HELP THE ENCONOMY BUT FEW INDIVIDULS, HOW CAN A GOV. ...
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  A GOVERMENT WHO THINK HOW HIS PARTY CAN RULE FOR THOUSAND YEARS, AND NOT HOW HIS COUNTRY CAN IMPROVE IN TEN YEARS IS NOT A GOOD ONE. IN GHANA, GOERMENT WANT TO SPEND NOT TO HELP THE ENCONOMY BUT FEW INDIVIDULS, HOW CAN A GOV. PLEAD WITH PASTORS TO SEND TO ISREAL, HOW ARE WE SENDING PEOPLE TO MECCA, WHEN THE WORLD FATS ENCONOMIES DO NOT, AND HOW CAN A GOV. SENT A MINISTEER, WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THE COST, TO TURKEY WITH HAND WRITTEN LETTER TO U-20 TEAM, WHEN THERE IS MANY CHEAP WAYS OF DOING IT IN THIS OUR PRESENT TIME. THEY DONT FACE THE ENCONOMY, THEY FACE WRONG PLACE

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• Akwasi 12 years ago

  Unfortunately in Ghana as soon as a new administration is in place,all the projects and work of the previous administration is subjected to humiliating audit as if all they did was to steal. by the time this is done, one year ...
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  Unfortunately in Ghana as soon as a new administration is in place,all the projects and work of the previous administration is subjected to humiliating audit as if all they did was to steal. by the time this is done, one year of their period is gone. It takes forever to get the gov't machinery restarted and well oiled to function and by then another year is gone. Until we stop and let those technocrats handle their jobs we are in trouble.Take the currency of the UK and check who signature is there. It is not the Minister or the governor of the central bank, but the chief cashier of the exchequer who is a civil servant. I think we may have to give tenor to the senior civil and public servants. Anybody from assistant director in the civil and public service ought to have tenor with their jobs. an example is an assistant director can have a tenor of 5years with a clearly defined job description with specific targets and outcomes and key performance indicators set by the chief director. The directors and chief director can have tenor of 7 years with the similar conditions. The directors targets and KPIs will be set by the chief director and the chief director's own will be set either by the head of civil service or the public services commission and they will do yearly evaluation and recommend to the politician whose tenor should be renewed or recommend their dismissal through an administrative tribunal with the powers of a high court.

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