When will GBC respect civil and public service condition in Ghana

When Ghana won it political independence, it was declared that “at long last your beloved country is free forever.” This assertion is synonymous with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the nation’s premier broadcaster. One day I went to transact business with Radio Upper West, one of the regional FM stations of the state broadcaster. On their notice board I saw a directive that all regional directors should proceed on leave by the 31st of December 2009.THEN I SAID WHAT/ for the past twenty years stretching from 1989 to date one of GBC’s regional correspondents has never been on leave even for once. I am a native of the region, and this man has been here for all this while and has finally wormed his way in to the board of Wa polytechnique as a government appointee. I am talking about Chris Alalbila.This has brought into sharp focus the suitability of the now acting regional director of GBC. One cardinal point of a state media is fair representation of facts and the serious element of fairness and objectivity. Do you think with the appointment of Mr. Chris Alalbila as a board member of Wa poly the elements of fairness and objectivity can be established when issues come up about that institution? I beg to differ. In the face of all these, the GBC which prides itself as now the leader in the broadcasting industry in Ghana looks on helplessly. My little investigations showed that the same Chris Alalbila has flirted with both the NDC and the NPP. At a point; he doubled as the media coordinator for both parties in the region. During the NPP administration, he was given a contract which he sold out to a contractor in the region. I am saying that GBC should stop wasting our time with their jingle which precedes their news that they are the best in the country. For a big corporation like GBC to allow one person to operate in a region for twenty years in total violation of the civil and public service conditions of service really begs the question. Go to the station and ask the average worker there, the only thing they are waiting for is the day that Chris Alalbila will proceed on leave. Morale is very low. Operating in a region of about one million people with low literacy rate, it should be a shame that only English Language is spoken on their network. No wonder Radio Progress does what the people like very well and they have crowned it with a GJA award. GBC must wake up from its slumber and let the Civil and Public Service Act work by helping Chris Alalbila to explore other possibilities in other parts of the country. GBC, “ye bre mu”. Television reception is the poorest in this region. TV can go off for a very long time running sometimes for days. People are really fed up with GBC.The acting regional director has outlived his usefulness and he cannot devise innovative way of solving the problem. Headquarters is looking on helplessly as no explanation is being given to the public here. They shamelessly come in for TV license. In conclusion this man who for the past twenty years or more has taken any leave probably because he does not want his ineptitude and shady deals to be exposed, should not only go on leave, but be transferred to another part of the country. He came to relieve Mr. Peter Kaba who went to Cape Coast and later became Brong Ahafo regional director until he left the GBC. For now the only thing that can save the image of the corporation is to transfer him from the region. He is not only a nuisance to the corporation, but the Upper West public in general. ‘BALI YANG NU’ Credit: George Bangbeu, bangbeu@yahoo.com