Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Joshua Zaato has argued that presidents who fail to fulfil their manifesto promises within the four-year term should not seek re-election, insisting that candidates know the time available to them before taking office.
He said presidential candidates develop their manifestos with the four-year mandate in mind and should therefore be held accountable for the commitments they make to voters.
“If you cannot do what you’ve put in your manifesto in four years’ time, you have no business presenting yourself for the election,” he said on TV3.
Zaato rejected arguments that delays in appointing government officials should justify calls for a longer presidential term, questioning why presidents should be given more time for challenges arising from decisions made by their own administrations.
“It’s not as if you wake up one day and then you are told that, ‘Oh, by the way, you have four years.’ You develop a manifesto based on a four-year term,” he said.
He also challenged the practice of appointing officials who are considered inexperienced and then using the time they need to learn on the job as a reason for extending the period of governance.
“You come to power and you’re telling us, ‘Oh, you know, because it took long for me to appoint people.’ Who made it take long?” he asked.
Zaato further questioned why presidents should appoint people they consider incompetent and subsequently argue that those officials need time to learn their responsibilities.
“Some of the people I’ve appointed are so incompetent that they need to learn on the job. Why appoint them?” he asked.
He maintained that the four-year period is a commitment made to Ghanaians through a party’s manifesto, and presidents should be judged against that commitment rather than seek additional time to deliver.
“Nobody knows anything. You made a secret promise to Ghanaian people in your manifesto. That promise is four years,” he said.
