<<Print>>

Leaders in society are deemed prominent and obviously, much is expected of them. Their character, particularly in public, is deemed critical and so, every leadership skill demands decorum to be displayed in the choice of language by leaders in the country. But it appears the adage "leadership by example" may be losing its relevance in the 21st century especially when those acclaimed to be Heads in society begin to fight their citizens. This was the scene at Mankraso Hospital in the Ahafo Ano South when the District Chief Executive (DCE) captured in a revealing video, was seen squabbling with one of the workers at the hospital. The DCE, Hon. Gabriel Barima, was caught on the video tape trading words with the unidentified worker after the unidentified worker chuckled when he (Hon. Barima) was giving a speech. Hon. Barimma was urging the health workers to turn over a new leaf by being courteous to patients who visit the hospital for medical care when suddenly a person in the audience chuckled in obvious derision. The enraged DCE truncated his speech in anger and without paying any 'respect' to the dignitaries, walked out of the function still blabbing. Before his abrupt departure, Hon. Gabriel Barima sought answers from the worker who he claimed had made the disparaging remark. As a way to prove his portfolio to the gathering; he exclaimed in Twi interspersed with English; �who made that �Twiaaaa� sound? Am I your size?...I have been given the platform to talk. You were not given the platform to talk. And so, what you�re saying, nobody is listening except mine. �Am I your colleague? Do you think you�re my colleague?...You sit somewhere and behave like you�re talking to your co-equal. Am I your co-equal? If you�re a hospital worker, who are you? Why do you have to behave in that manner? I�ve ended my speech. I�m not talking again. If you don�t respect people�I�m not talking again. Take your programme.� A clearly riled Hon Barima threw the microphone he was using to address his audience down and stormed out of the event grounds, only to return minutes afterwards to disclose his impressive financial status in public. Sure that the one who showed disrespect to him was a staff of the hospital, the DCE stated, �If you are a staff at the hospital and so what? I will never come to your hospital again.� �I won�t come to your hospital for you to display gross disrespect towards me. I have money, what do you think we look for money for? I can go to any hospital that I want.� Still fuming, he said it was his dead body that would be brought to Mankranso Government Hospital, and then added sarcastically, �Even mortuary, you don�t have here. When interviewed by Radio Gold on Monday regarding the unrestrained fury he unleashed on the residents of Ahafo Ano South, Hon. Gabriel Barima explained the circumstances that led him to behave in such uncouth manner. He narrated that �the Ahafo Ano South district is one of the poorest districts in the region. Last year, it�s such that had it not been the fact we have health facilities around us�life would have been very uncomfortable�The frontline staff of the Mankraso hospital have not been fair to the people of this district and their disrespectful actions have even extended to the District Chief Executive, that is myself." According to him, he once visited the district; "it was the normal visiting hours. I went to see my Vice Chairman who had been hospitalized. Whiles there, somebody came to charge his phone�So, as a concerned man or Head of the district, I asked him; �Please, so, you travelled all the way from your house to come and charge your phone here?� It will surprise you that this man didn't utter a word. He just left, went and then took his cleaning materials and came and we were four in the room, he just called on me; only me to walk out. Walk out! I�m here to do my job. �So, my Vice Chairman told him; �Brother, do you know the person you�re talking to. He�s our DCE. Why do you have to treat him in that manner?� He said; if he�s the DCE, who�s he? So, I left and reported the matter to the District Health Director.� Nonetheless, the question remains; Could such reaction have been the best character to show at a public function by a DCE? Watch Video Below: