ALAN CASH: I’ll extend presidential term of office to five years

Independent presidential candidate, Alan Kyerematen, has put forward a bold plan to increase the presidential term to five years and allow for the option of seeking re-election for a second term.

He made the statement during the official launch of his “Great Transformational Plan (GTP)” in Accra on Monday, June 24, 2024.

“We will amend Article 66 (1) to extend the term of the office of the President of the Republic, from four years to five years and be eligible for reelection for the second term. But under this arrangement no person shall have the right to be elected as president for more than two terms,” he emphasized

During the launch, Mr. Kyerematen, leader of the Movement for Change (M4C), pointed out that the two main parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have extensively borrowed over the last three decades to finance their electoral promises. He argued that they have reached their limits in terms of skills and abilities and should not be re-elected.

“Both NDC and NPP have had the opportunity of being in charge of the country for the last 32 years. I believe in all sincerity that they have exhausted their competencies and capabilities and ought not to be retain in power.

“Between the two leading parties, they have over the three decades that they have been in power, resulted to extensive borrowing to finance their manifesto promises”, he said.

He stated that, with only five months remaining until the general election, citizens were still waiting for the manifestos of the two leading parties saying, “the culture of unrestrained borrowing is what has landed us into the ditch”.

Addressing the state of the economy, Mr. Kyerematen remarked that the current situation is a result of decisions made by our own actions.

“Whilst there may be a myriad of contributing factors, the tree that clearly stands out are; a failure of leadership, the divisiveness in our body politic and political space, our own unproductive attitude, behaviour and mindset as a people”, he stated.

Mr. Kyerematen said what was needed was a transformational leadership, a paradigm shifts in the governance system as well as a mindset change.

“We have an opportunity in the General Election in December this year to cross that bridge, and move Ghana into a new era of peace and prosperity by electing me as the first Independent Candidate to become the President of Ghana.”

The GTP, according to Alan Kyerematen “is a blueprint to Ghana’s economic transformation and outlines robust policy prescriptions and practical steps towards building an enterprise economy in the country.”

Mr. Kyerematen also indicated that the introduction of the comprehensive policy framework, the GTP, aims to lead Ghana from instability to stability, growth, resilience, and ultimately prosperity.

He outlined that the GTP is structured around six interconnected clusters: Economic, Governance, Infrastructure, Social Services, Environment, Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Management, as well as Behavioural and Mindset Change.

Each cluster encompasses several pillars, thematic areas, and actionable policy recommendations. He emphasized that the GTP differs significantly from traditional party manifestos by offering precise, transparent, and action-focused policy solutions.

Speaking on Joy News, Duke Aaron Sasu, the Youth Leader and Spokesperson for the Movement for Change, urged Ghanaians to access the GTP booklet. He emphasized that it presents a comprehensive framework outlining how a presidential aspirant plans to advance the country’s progress, marking the first of its kind.

According to him, what makes Alan different from the rest of the presidential aspirants is that “Alan lays down the what, the how, the why and the challenges and how those challenges should be addressed.