Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah has described as ‘fake’ an apology letter purported to have come from her Ministry to the management of Adom FM.
The said letter which has been in circulation on social media for sometime now was intended to apologise to an intern of the Multimedia Group, whom the Minister denied an interview.
“The apology circulating on social media that the Sanitation Ministry has rendered an unqualified apology to multimedia is false, fake and must be treated with the content it deserves…,” she said on Accra-based Oman FM as monitored by GhanaNewsPage.Com.
Rahinatu Abdul Bach was verbally assaulted when she wanted to get the ministry’s reaction to reports, on persons caught littering and ordered to pick up the litter or sweep the streets.
The Minister said, “You don’t let an intern call a minister, an elderly person like me? Please respect the office even if you don’t respect me as a human being”
The reaction has attracted diverse reactions.
Communications Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful reacted that Ministers are not training grounds for interns.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said: “This chronic disrespect for political officeholders in Ghana is getting quite nauseating”, adding: “Try getting into the office of a minister anywhere in the world without an appointment and see if you’ll be allowed in”.
In Ghana, the Ablekuma West MP continued: “The minister will be roasted because they are public officers, so, should be at everyone’s beck and call. You can’t just pick up the phone and insist on an interview without prior arrangement and the media house must send the appropriately trained personnel to conduct the interview.
An intern must be supervised by a superior when out on the field to ensure they acquire the right on-the-job skills. Even as a qualified lawyer doing my pupillage in Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co., I was supervised by a senior lawyer and never let loose on my own to deal with clients for fear of making mistakes that might cost the firm”.
“That’s how you learn (and you should never be so arrogant as to think graduation from school gives you all the skills you need to work). That’s what serious organizations who value their corporate reputation do. And they apologize when they step out of line instead of blaming those who insist on the right thing being done. An intern or trainee should not be sent to interview anyone or interact with senior officials without supervision.”
An unhappy Sanitation Minister said she will report Adom FM to GJA and the National Media Commission.
Source: GhanaNewsPage.Com |
