Governance expert Amon Kotei has urged Ghanaians to carefully consider the proposal to extend the presidential and parliamentary term from four to five years, saying the country’s main challenge is not the length of its electoral cycle but corruption and financial leakages.
Speaking on Simpieso on Atinka FM, hosted by Ekow Budu Sam, Mr. Kotei was reacting to the Attorney-General’s announcement that government had accepted the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendation to adopt a five-year term of office.
According to him, Ghanaians should examine both the advantages and disadvantages of the proposal before any decision is taken.
“We must weigh the pros and cons of the five-year proposal,” – he said.
Mr. Kotei argued that Ghana’s recent economic performance shows that a government can achieve meaningful results within four years if it manages the economy well.
He pointed to the current administration, saying, “Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and his team have turned the economy around in less than two years. We don’t need five years to govern properly.”
The governance expert also noted that although some African countries operate five-year electoral terms, many still struggle with development.
“Some African countries have five-year terms but are less developed than Ghana,” he said.
He added that countries such as Germany continue to make significant progress under a four-year electoral cycle.
Mr. Kotei maintained that Ghana’s biggest challenge remains corruption and the misuse of public resources rather than the duration of political office.
“The problem is leakages and corruption, not the four-year term,” he stressed.
Touching on the Supreme Court’s decision ending the delegate system in some internal political processes, Mr. Kotei criticised the high cost of elections in Ghana.
He questioned why voters often expect gifts from politicians after elections.
“Why should a sensible citizen be carrying home a refrigerator after voting?” he asked.
He said politicians who spend huge sums of money to win elections often feel pressured to recover those expenses after assuming office.
“If an MP spends GH¢3 million to win an election, imagine how much a District Chief Executive would spend,” he said.
Mr. Kotei called for electoral reforms that would reduce the cost of politics and promote accountable leadership.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Ebenezer Madugu