The Minister for Trade, Industry, Presidential Initiative and Private Sector Development, Mr. Joe Baidoe-Ansah, found himself on the wrong side of etiquette last week, when he disrupted a live programme broadcast on Metro TV, because he disagreed with the comments that were being made by one of the panellists.
As a result of this unethical behaviour, the Minister had some sort of fracas with Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, an Economist and a leading member of the Convention People's Party (CPP). The situation which did not go down well with the leadership of the CPP, compelled them to issue a statement, demanding a public apology from Baidoe-Ansah.
The CPP also called on President Kufuor to dismiss the Minister if he refused to apologise to them, for the embarrassment he caused to their leading member on the programme.
Apart from the CPP statement, there were also public condemnations of the attitude of the Minister, especially the shame he brought to the nation.
Joe Baidoe-Ansah, who was initially hesitant at meeting the demand of the CPP, to apologise, finally gave in last week Friday, when he issued a statement apologising to the viewing public for his conduct.
Though the Minister did not meet the demand of the CPP, of apologising to them officially, we think apologising to those who watched the programme was not enough.
He should have, first of all, apologised to the TV Station, the panellists, the CPP and the nation, as the office he holds makes him a representative of Ghana, so any misbehaviour should be seen as a grave emberrassment to the nation.
There is no doubt that his attitude that day was not only an embarrassment to him as a Minister, but also to the entire country, especially journalists, since he is a member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
Worst of it all, he was seen touching the shoulders of one of the foreign dignitaries on the programme in anger.
Joe Baido-Ansah should now begin to understand, that the position that he is currently occupying, is a big and respected one, therefore he must begin to behave as a Minister befitting that status.
That youthful exuberance should give way to diplomacy. As the newly-appointed President of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), he may have had a genuine problem with the programme, but it was wrong for him to have gone there, during the period of the programme, whether at that material time it was off air or not.
The proper thing he should have done was to register his protest to the producer of the programme, and the need for them to avoid that in future and not to barge into the programme, resulting in the disgrace he has brought upon himself and the nation.
The Chronicle thinks this unfortunate conduct should serve as a lesson to other ministers, who would try to use their positions to such an extent in future. No matter the situation though, we at The Chronicle are convinced that even though the Minister has behaved as a good democrat, by coming out to apologise, that apology was not good enough.
