The recent attempt by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to manufacture a crisis within the cocoa sector has been exposed as nothing more than a desperate and a high-budget theatrical performance. While the party attempted to frame the demonstration as a spontaneous outcry from frustrated farmers over declining cocoa prices, the reality is far more cynical. This was not a movement of the marginalized; it was a strictly commercial venture, engineered and bankrolled by NPP officials to create an illusion of instability. By preying on the optics of protest, the NPP has proven that it values political optics far more than the actual welfare of the Ghanaian farmer.
Reports from the ground and widely circulated video evidence have stripped the demonstration of any perceived legitimacy. It has become clear that many of the “protesters” were not farmers at all, but individuals incentivized by a GH₵200 appearance fee, free transportation in chartered buses, and provided meals. When a demonstration requires a “cash-out” incentive to attract participants, it ceases to be a protest and becomes a paid gig. This “cash-and-carry” approach to activism insults the intelligence of the Ghanaian public and mocks the genuine struggles of those who work the land, reducing a complex global economic issue to a transactional political stunt.
Furthermore, the core grievance of the demonstration, the reduction in cocoa prices, is a deliberate exercise in economic misinformation. The NPP is well aware that cocoa prices are governed by the volatility of the global market, yet they chose to hide this fact to suit their agenda. To blame the government for fluctuations engineered by international market forces is a dishonest tactic designed to mislead the uninformed. This artificial agitation lacks the merit and substance of the genuine, grassroots demonstrations that have historically shaped our democracy. It is a hollow attempt at “equalization” that fails to hold weight because it is built on bribery rather than conviction.
Ultimately, this demonstration must be dismissed for what it truly is: a useless and expensive distraction. By busing in people to hold placards for a few hours in exchange for a small fee, the NPP has shown that it lacks a substantive policy alternative to offer the people of Ghana. This wasn’t a call for reform; it was a poorly managed publicity stunt that has only succeeded in exposing the lengths to which the opposition will go to manufacture relevance. The public sees through the facade, recognizing that a rented crowd can never replace the power of a truthful message.
Issued by the Executives of the Gallant Cadres of Ndc
Contact points: Comrade Richard E A Sarpong, Father Casford. The PRO, 0208573712
Ohemaa Akosua Borngreat, Deputy PRO, 0243179445
Mr F Kadan, Secretary, 0242276044
Mr Eric Nana Takyi, Deputy Secretary, 0546572070
Mr Lawrence Odoom, Vice Chair, 0272626466
