A leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP),Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe has predicted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would definitely suffer a debilitating defeat, no matter who becomes its flagbearer, after the forth-coming congress of the party.

Known for his militancy, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe, a veteran of “Kume Preko” and a number of heroic protests against the NDC while it was in office, stated in an exclusive chat with Daily Guide at his office that President John Agyekum Kufour, who is the sole candidate of the NPP is by no means intimidated by the stature of Prof John Evans Atta Mills, nor is he amused by the frivolous claims of Dr Kwesi Botchwey to the presidential candidature of the NDC in the 2004 general elections. He welcomed each one of the two candidates to prepare himself for a massive, and convincing trouncing by the NPP’s presidential candidate in the next elections, adding that, if Botchwey does not know how defeat is, he should ask Mills.

He stated emphatically that “the NDC will feed themselves in a catch 22 situation, come 2004’’. He explained that the NDC is currently in a dilemma, which can neither be saved by either a Mills or Botchwey candidature, thus making the NDC even more susceptible to suffer a massive defeat in 2004, no matter what plan, strategy or methodology the party adopts. Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe stressed that henceforth the NPP Administration will make sure that elections in this country are held in a transparent, free and fair manner, adding that NDC is not used to this kind of elections, hence it would face another drastic defeat, come 2004.

According to Dr Nyaho Tamakloe, the NPP is a better organised political party at both the grassroots and top most levels, but it is now that the NDC is learning the fundamentals of democracy. He contended that in fighting in political parties are normal, adding that, it even happens in the US, Britain and even in the NPP, which is known for its internal democratic values. He recalled that there was a serious in-fighting between members of the NPP, including himself, who were in Nana Akufo-Addo’s camp and those who were in Kufour’s camp, but there were able to some together to rally behind J.A. Kufour (now President) tow in the 2000 elections.

He however admitted that the in-fighting between Kufour’s camp and Akufo-Addo’s camp was not as dirty as the one which is happening between Dr Kwesi Botchwey’s camp and Prof Evans Atta Mills’ camp in the run-up for the flagbearership position. He cautioned the NDC to be very careful not to allow the differences existing in the party currently to divide the party or break it after the congress. He observed that “The fact that there is a democratic contest going on in the NDC is a healthy sign for our democracy, which needs to be encouraged”. Dr Nyaho Tamakloe reiterated that the NPP has gone through all these struggles years ago, but the NDC is now at the infant stage of it.

He therefore advised the NDC to forget about the Founder of Leader position in the party and rather concentrate on building a proper democratic structure for the reshaping of the party. He urged the NDC to learn a lesson from the NPP on how to build a party on democratic principles. He noted that the NPP has a tradition thus, there is always a contest for the flagbearership position, which is worth emulating by the NDC.