Ransford Edward Van Gyampo, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, is suggesting a legislation to check the temperament of Presidents, especially when they are exiting office.
His comments come on the back of President Akufo-Addo’s behaviour in the final year of his last term including ordering chiefs to get up and greet him amongst others.
According to Prof. Gyampo, there is a research he is conducting about presidential temperament which he believes should help in the legislation of a law to guide how presidents who are exiting office should behave.
Speaking on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, October 05, 2024, the University of Ghana lecturer noted that “there’s a paper that I’m researching about presidential temperaments.”
Prof. Gyampo was speaking on the treatment given to the anti-galamsey protestors who were arrested, detained and prosecuted, saying the typical Dampare would not do such a thing,
He said the behaviour of the President in the last days of his administration leaves much to be desired, necessitating the legislation that would spell presidential temperament especially in their final days in office.
“Akufo-Addo hasn’t got a suitable temperament to become president. Look at the way sometimes he behaves in public. He sees chiefs and then does this to them ‘get up, get up, why are you sitting?’ And then he goes to Volta Region and he says things that undermine the respect of chiefs. A GJA president goes on a platform to talk about how those who are demonstrating against galamsey have been treated and is calling on authorities to act and we saw how the President reacted.
“We saw it, and I’m just imagining, we’ve had Presidents. Let’s look at even J.J. Rawlings, the man who combined revolutionary favour with democratic practice. I’m not imagining J.J. Rawlings giving that kind of response. I cannot imagine him doing that. Look at Kufuor. Do you think that if somebody has said this openly, you know, in a speech, and the person was seated with Kufuor, do you think Kufuor would have reacted the way Akufo-Addo reacted? Look at Professor Mills. Look at President Mahama. He wouldn’t have done that,” lamented Prof. Gyampo.
He stated that Akufo-Addo is possibly acting this way because he is exiting office, necessitating the need for a legislation on the presidential comportment.
“And so, even his temperament is not good. And it appears that these things are coming up because everybody knows or he knows that he’s exiting. But we should begin to legislate about presidential comportment and how things would have to be done when clearly people know that they are exiting office,” he called.
