Professor Kwesi Botchwey, Head of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) election 2016 fact-finding committee, has disclosed that the party’s heavy defeat in the last election was partly due to a “breakdown of integrity.”
Speaking for the first time after submitting the committee’s findings to the NDC leadership, Prof. Botchwey said his committee observed that the breakdown of integrity was evident in the selection of people to various executive positions within the party hierarchy.
[contextly_sidebar id=”BcAWhq3jdJ7JB9al2h2cf7tlX6U24De1″]Prof. Botchwey also said disregard for ethics also played a major part in the party’s defeat.
“Indeed, the loss of ethicality had a lot to do in the party’s defeat in 2016. In the work that I chaired, thanks to the decision of the national executive to involve me in that important exercise, we identified and the party is aware of the incidence of observation of grievances, bitterness, over what many saw as the manipulation and breakdown of integrity in the selection of executives in the various levels of management in the party’s affairs from the branch upwards.”
Prof. Botchwey made the revelation when he spoke at the 6th John Evans Atta Mills Commemorative Lecture at the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region on Monday.
The lecture was on the theme: “Ethicality, Democracy and National Development: The Legacy of President Atta Mills.”
He also used the opportunity to talk about the ideals of Prof. Mills of blessed memory.
He also spoke about the personal ethical character of late President Mills that helped him deal with whistle-blowing in the fight against corruption and political misbehaviour.
About the Kwesi Botchwey report
The NDC tasked the Kwesi Botchwey committee to investigate the party’s humiliating defeat in the 2016 general elections.
The committee after several months of its find finding mission submitted its report to the party.
However, the NDC leadership has been tight-lipped on the content of the report saying it wasn’t meant for public consumption.
Bagbin backs Rawlings; calls for integrity in NDC
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, recently backed the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings’ call on the party to be guided by the principles of integrity and accountability.
He said the party’s current predicaments demand that its members introspect and work to restore its earlier values of probity and accountability.
Speaking at the party’s silver jubilee lecture on Thursday, Alban Bagbin said the party can return to power only after it reverts to its earlier values that made it a better choice for Ghanaians, years ago.
“It is for us to do an introspection and try and put a system in place to prevent a third world war… We need to go back for the earlier values. You cannot have democracy without creating the culture of integrity and that is the true genesis of our party but we are jettisoning all,” he said.
The founder of the party, Jerry John Rawlings, during the 38th June 4th revolution anniversary, said Ghanaians voted out the NDC because of sickening greed, selfishness and corruption.
According to Mr. Rawlings, such practices were contrary to the values upheld by the NDC, describing them as a “betrayal of the values of June 4,” which are probity, transparency and accountability.
“Nobody is saying don’t make money, make it good and clean; but not some of the ones I know; sickening, that kind of greed and selfishness, look at where it landed us. Or is it because this government is not behaving the way Kufuor did in his time, so we think we are okay? I know what’s going on. I know some of the things they are running into,” he said.
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin
