NDC’s defeat in 2016 is mother of all defeats - Barbara Asamoah

A member of the 13-member Dr Kwasi Botchwey Committee tasked to unravel the cause of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) humiliating defeat at the 2016 polls, Barbara Serwaa Asamoah has admitted it remains one of the shocking defeats the party has ever witnessed.

“We have witnessed defeats as a party because when you go into an election, you either win or lose but the 2016 defeat is the most shocking of all our defeats”, she revealed on Okay Fm.

She observed that the most striking of all is how the votes compared to the 2012 dropped a development she indicates was as a result of disaffection among some party members who refused to play active roles in the campaign

“We realized that some of our members refused to go out and vote because they were not happy with certain happenings. That is why we are advocating for healing process in order to build bridges and forge ahead. It has not been easy especially from our members who met us and poured out their grievances”, she emphasized.

The Kwasi Botchwey led committee presented its report to the party on Monday June 19, 2017 indicating that weak intellectual and research base played a key role in the party’s defeat in the 2016 elections.

According to the committee, the NDC needs to take steps to crowd the party with critical thinkers in order to make the NDC a better party.

The report also recommended a “peacemaking and healing tour” which should be led by some eminent personalities of the party.

He was speaking at the NDC headquarters in Accra where national executives gathered to receive the report of the 13-member committee.

After six months of work, the committee has handed the report to the NDC National Chairman Kofi Portuphy. The chairman Prof. Kwesi Botchwey proceeded to feed the media with some seven recommendations contained in the report.