And GBC Paid GH�35,000...

If there should be a contest now to award the most popular media house, which of the media houses would you deem worthy for the award? Well, to Efo Prempeh, it is the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. This is simply because lately it has always been in the news in both the print and electronic media. About a week ago, it was the hullabaloo about the inability of the Corporation to telecast very important events and especially President Mills� speech at his recent trip to the United States. A section of the public has opined that this should be the last straw which broke the camel�s back. Now what many expect to see is the head of the Director General, Mr. Ampem Darko who earns Gh�20,000 a month roll to bring some sanity into the Corporation for massive progress to go on. What is latest in the news is the Director General, Mr. Ampem Darko who earns GH�20,000 a month roll to bring some sanity into the Corporation for massive progress to go on.What is latest in the news is the dismissal of the Head of Publications (H.O.P) who is in the person of Samuel Mensah Nyarkoh. The next on the list as gathered is one of his very close associates who in this case may be referred to as his �partners in crime� (I would like to withhold his name for now). I hear what has delayed this person�s dismissal flight is that he is on an official assignment at Cape Coast. However, I hear his query letter is patiently waiting for him. According to sources, the two musketeers are being dismissed for gross insubordination. The management of the Corporation (who are divided anyway) does not seem to understand why the culprits should speak with other media houses when they could have used the proper channel of communication available to the Corporation. As some staff deduced from the Director General�s speech at the September durbar held recently, the Head of Publications was being dismissed to serve as a deterrent to other staff who may also be thinking of doing that. It must be noted that during previous durbars, the Director General is said to have cautioned (if not intimidated) staff not to speak with any media house but use the monthly durbar which he sees as the highest decision making body of the Corporation. Mr. Ampem Darko is even quoted to have invited every aggrieved staff to come and see him in his office so that together they see the way forward. Efo Prempeh on his usual nosing rounds gathered that the two musketeers who have worked with the Corporation for over a decade are only being used as scape goats. I hear the H.O.P was not even given enough time to answer his query letter. It sounds as if the soup was prepared even before the ingredients were brought from the markets. That is to say that, Management had even taken a decision before giving him the platform for �interaction�. The Director General may be right to feel he has been stabbed at the back by his H.O.P. He went on air to wash their dirty linen by speaking with some Accra-based radio stations and further having a publication in the Ghanaian Times newspaper when he could have spoken his mind at the monthly durbar or even gone to his office to have a one on one interaction with him. Mr. Mensah Nyarkoh commented on the reaction of the staff about the new Board of Director�s allowances and also about the fact that the Corporation�s money was being used to pay the legal fees of the national president of the Workers Union of the Corporation, Louis Darko who has been sued by the former Director General Eva Lokko. The impression I get is that, (he may have other reasons though) Mensah Nyarkoh was only trying to make it clear to the general public that, the case was between two private people and so the Corporation was in no way obliged to pay Louis Darko�s fees. Four main questions baffle me and I will be very grateful if anyone could provide me with the answers. In fact, these are questions giving me sleepless nights. 1. Is it true it is the Corporation which is funding Louis Darko�s legal battle with Eva Lokko? 2. Could Mensah Nyarkoh have resorted to talking to an �outsider� a media house because he (together with other staff) had been making a lot of noise inside the house without any good result? 3. Does the Corporation think firing is the best solution to the problem? Because I personally think that, it looks like the baby has been thrown away together with the bath water. 4. Was this case ever referred to the Alternative Dispute Resolution, if not, doesn�t this go to confirm the fact that the ADR Centre at GBC is, after all, a white elephant? Personally, I have known Mensah Nyarkoh for while. Though it was less than a year, I can confidently stick my neck out and say that this man has held many significant positions in the Corporation and in the name of the Corporation which therefore gave him a good platform to know a lot of things. He was even the Regional Director of Tamale GBC as I was just told. Trust me when this man speaks, you will realize that he has the GBC map in his palm. In fact, this man knows. What I fear is that he may go and spill out what should have been spilled in. in my opinion, it would have been better to keep him to piss in than having him out and pissing out. If he does this, I am sorry to say that both the Workers union of the Corporation and the Director General may not be able to stand the heat and this may turn out to be what Mr. Dan Lartey of the Great Consolidated Peoples Party will term �pinsoo�. There is an Akan adage which says that when you are chewing the monkeys hand watch yours also. It is true that the H.O.P and the other staff �in waiting� were given or will be given a raw deal, then Mr. Ampem-Darko should not in any way expect a fair trial when it is his turn to face any superior body. Sometimes I do not blame the Director General; we all know that the snake usually bites when it senses danger. A little bird just whispered into my ears that the two musketeers are thinking of heading for the law courts to seek justice. If they do, I just hope it will not be the little money generated by the Corporation which will be use for the legal battle. I think we the tax payers need to know the truth about the current situation at the Corporation. Shall we have a body or person to act as fast as possible on this issue since a stitch in time saves nine. Until then, I will like to appeal to staffs of the Corporation who are for or against any of the parties to keep their cool and wait patiently to see how things will go on. You will bear me out that, so much has been spent to replace and repair equipment in the Corporation and so the last thing we expect to see or hear is any form of violence which will destroy life or property. May GBC continue to be the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation that it should be and not Ghana�s Boiling Community as it is appearing to be.