Naija Discussion Forum - 5-year,one-term presidency

kyonmax

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Re: 5-year,one-term presidency

« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2008, 07:47:21 PM »

Quote from: ojore;5908

I think Luciano and Kyonmax seem to be focused on the current system we are operating forgeting that we have tried others like the parliamentary system with shorter office term and and room for what you can call two leadership at the same time in the form of a president and prime minister still with the same problem. A call for a change of system which resulted in the present presidential system. That is not including the military which is also a system of government irrespective of whether it is a popular one or not. And like Ade said it is not the system that is faulty but the mind set of the operatives of the system. If the five term being advocated now is adopted we will still have the same problem and before you know it there will be call for a change of the system again for something else. If you want to really cut down a tree you cut it from the root that way you will ensure that it does not grow back. But what you guy are calling for is like cutting a tree half way and expecting it not to grow back. It doesn't matter whether most people back home favour 5 year term which I doubt because it is usually the opinion of those who can make the most noise and have access to the media that is usually presented as the opinion of the people. And I feel the effect of our democrasy as equally as those of you back home if not more infact. The failure of that democracy and the resultant looting is partly responsible for the exit of Nigerians in the first place.

i have been particularly thrilled by the responses that this thread has generated. it demonstates to me the passion which some of us at least on this forum feel on issues concerning nigeria and the way forward.

now back to the point, ojore, neither myself nor luciano nor any proponent of a change from a 2-4 year term to a 1-5 year term have lost sight of the fact of the parliamentary system that we tried at independence.

our insistence is in the fact that no matter how long a system is tried or how short for that matter, there is nothing inherently wrong in changing from that system to something else if that system is found to be either wrong for those who practice it or inpracticable or too costly to manage or inconvinient or .......

there is nothing inherently wrong in change by itself and nothing also wrong with admitting that a system is not working as it should.

i concede that working at something for a long time can eventually correct the ills inherent in it over time but i insist that there is no guarantee that the mere fact that one holds on to a particular thing for a lifetime can make it workable if part of the problem of its lack of workability lies in the refusal of that one to fine tune it a little.

i'll give you an example that may not be on all fours with this line of argument but should at least get you to see our position in a lighter mood.

after ade added the radio stations on this forum, i discovered i couldnt properly connect to them and i complained. ade promised to tweak them a little, and he did, and it worked. now if ade were to insist that the system has been all good for him for a long time hence he will not tweak them to see if things work out better, i may never have gotten the full benefit of the radio stations.

in the same vein, we are not suggesting that we break from a presidential system. no. what we are suggesting is a little adjustment in the system to make it a little more embracing and to afford more people the opportunity to participate and probably reduce the risk of a few people having the opportunity of settling down into the system long enough to enable them milk us dry in eight years. it may also give a breath of fresh air to the art of governance every once so often bring new people into the saddle with fresh ideas rather than clinging to a non workable plan for 8 years. this is not however to suggest that a 5 year term will make the plan of that government workable without more, no. but at least if the government is implementing plans that are not workable they will do that for a shorter time and give room for new ideas.


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kyonmax

luciano

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Re: 5-year,one-term presidency

« Reply #16 on: July 24, 2008, 04:49:45 AM »

My dear Ade and Ojore,I like your guts for staying over there and finding the time to be part of the scene on the ground here.But you know very well without being told that your experiences can only be "somewhat similar" and not "exactly like" ours.

Ojore's sentence that demorazy sent her out confirmed why there must always be a change until we get the right mix.A mix that does not look at the histories of the systems in Britain or US for its correctness......or its follies!

Both of you have deliberately decided to focus on systemic change which is not our "tree".Our "tree" is made up of the system AND ADDING OTHER MEASURES THAT CAN BE USED TO TO MAKE IT WORK EFFECTIVELY FOR OUR PEOPLE ESPECIALLY BY CURBING PROFLIGACY OF THOSE ENTRUSTED TO WORK THE SYSTEM.

The 5-year proposal encapsulate what THOSE OF US ON THE GROUND have seen at close quarters and not what we read from newspapers or the internet.An example is the electricity which has kept my generator working continuously for 5 days.Today our politicians talk only in terms of billions.If the Nigerian people had known that the present system will ALLOW/PERMIT loopholes that will aid application of less than 20% of the national income for their well-being would they have accepted such a system?Please lets remember that it is not the people operating the system alone but the loopholes provided by the system in particular which allows for looting.A long REIGN on the Presidential throne is definitely one of them.Like Kyonmax stated the second phase is usually and virtually a waste of time and resources.You all saw what OBJ and Atiku used the second term for!

Lets for instance say that in addition to the 5yrs only those who will take care of their own salaries and expenses should be legislators in the National and state assemblies, do you think we will not see responsible Nigerians who are prepared to make this sacrifice?I tell you today that I am one of thousands of Nigerians who are willing to do so Once such people are in charge, the executive spendthrifts will be put in their places.Election vote rigging will certainly be curbed once it is less of a do-or-die affair.4-5 yrs is about ideal for such sacrifice.

How do we equate the Azikiwe/Balewa period to a parliamentary system or even as representative of a period of joint leadership?Of course we know that period with regional governors and later premiers represented neither.In fact I can say we had the most confusing system at that time which allowed these Premiers to feel that they could be independent of Nigeria.It was that structure that PARTLY encouraged Ojukwu to think he could do without the rest of the country.People should stop referring to that system as the Westminster system because it was not.It was also a period that most Nigerians were just becoming more enlightened about administration of Nigeria on a national scale.It was full of trial and errors.Not comparable at all to where we are today.

The military system was not our choice but forced on us to meet the exigencies arising from regional conflicts.I therefore can't find the basis of the idea that we have "tried many systems"

As for the Presidential system being operated, we are even better off today to make more cogent and realistic proposals than our immediate fathers did.The greatest disservice will be to shy away from our present and obvious responsibilities.Let me also re-assure Ojore that those of us who have the means and the access to make noise are the representative of our people and we are the ones who can present suitable analysis and the arguments for change to them.That's why they were happy to see us off to schools.:haha:


« Last Edit: July 24, 2008, 05:17:33 AM by luciano »	Logged

luciano

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Re: 5-year,one-term presidency

« Reply #17 on: February 11, 2009, 03:25:37 PM »

O-rob-o and Alatika i beg make una say something before Yardee go see him :doctor: again o.


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ade5675

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Re: 5-year,one-term presidency

« Reply #18 on: February 11, 2009, 07:44:52 PM »

Of course we are waiting for their opinion. I am still of the opinion that naija people will find a way to beat that new system. We devote some time to always beat whatever system we have in place.

To all members, what do you think about it?


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