Populist cosmeticism
In "The Merchant of Venice" Shakespeare notes relevantly that "If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men's cottages princes palaces.
It is good divine that follows his own instructions.
I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching".
The recent debate about cocoa prices reflects exactly what Shakespeare Halverson has noted. In the campaigning towards the December 2024 general election, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lampooned the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for shortchanging cocoa farmers and promised that if the party won power, it would raise the producer price substantially.
Whilst some within the party are saying that they promised to pay not less than 70 per cent of the FOB price, at least Eric Opoku, now Minister of Agriculture, who was the voice of the party on agriculture then, stated openly that farmers deserved not less than GH¢ 6,000 per bag of 64kg of cocoa beans.
But since the issue of the delay in paying farmers for purchased beans and the general crisis confronting the industry erupted, Eric Opoku has kept mute. He has been quiet for the liking of many farmers who saw him as their anchor in 2024.
Promising
When the NDC was promising farmers fair producer price, the focus was not about percentages but about increasing the earning of the farmer beyond what was paid at the time.
Did they not think beyond the prevailing circumstance to foresee that prices could tumble and whilst they justifiably promised to ensure the appreciation and stability of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar, they should have known that any appreciation beyond a certain threshold would make products from Ghana uncompetitive at the global level?
But one question that must be answered is where did the government find the money suddenly to pay cocoa farmers when the justification for the delay in payment had been attributed to mismanagement and misapplication of the resources of COCOBOD by the previous government under the administration of Mr Boahen Aidoo?
Was it that the issue of paying the cocoa farmers was treated with contempt just as with many Ghanaians who provided services to the state in the last quarter of 2024, which state indebtedness has been confirmed by audits commissioned by the government in 2025?
It has been the practice that services provided to the state in the Fourth Quarter, apart from salaries and emergency situations, are paid for in the First Quarter of the ensuing year and in fact all outstanding credit in the accounts of public institutions were swept back to the Bank of Ghana at the end of March 2025.
But for the honeymoon being enjoyed by the government as a result of the reduction in commodity prices,especially imports, due to the stability of the cedi against the dollar, the farmers could have been mobilised for mass demonstrations across the cocoa producing regions and Accra.
Mahatma Gandhi has noted that, if a slave is willing to share in the success and glory of the master, the slave must not seek to run away when the master is confronted with shame and disgrace.
Too long
For too long in this country, our politicians and governments have taken us for a ride. When there is progress they appropriate it, but where there is difficulty, the blame is laid squarely on the laps of the previous administration.
The NPP did it in 2017, but Ken Ofori-Atta was described as the best performing Finance Minister in 2017 and 2018. The NDC is doing that and Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has been described as a superlative performer.
The Willy Brandt Commission in its report, "North-South: A Programme for Survival" has noted that "it would be dishonest to gloss over different convictions and foolish to disguise conflicts of interest.
But it would also be extremely unwise if we fail to balance and link interests whenever a common denominator can be found ...and experience shows that durable solutions are often found after confrontation has been brought to an end".
That is why I feel that we need to address the issue collectively. If there is the need for all of us to agree that because of the fall in world market price of cocoa, we should reduce the price, we should not split heads but that does not allow for absurd and crass propaganda that because the cost of living has gone down and the purchasing power of individuals has gone up, paying cocoa farmers GH¢2,500+ in 2026 is of a better value than GH¢3,100+ in 2024.
If this puerile argument has any merit, then public servants from the President, all Article 71 office holders down to the labourers must have their salaries reduced.
Populist
That is where I want to comment about the populist cosmeticist stunt of announcing cuts in the salary of government officials. During the first administration of my Roommate President John Dramani Mahama, government announced the voluntary compulsory reduction in the salaries of government appointees.
It did not change anything in spite of claims that whatever accrued was used to provide CHIPS compounds to provide primary health care.
Under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,a similar adhoc measure was taken to reduce the salary of all political appointees but the public did not see any improvement in their lives.
Indeed, I have met a number of district chief executives who said they were never consulted before their salaries were reduced and some said they would have voted against him if he was contesting the 2024 polls.
If even political appointees hated the idea of salary cut without consultation, how could the management of COCOBOD disingenuously resort to the same populist measure that board members will forfeit sitting allowance.
Do they get monthly allowance? And that executive management will cut their salaries by 20 per cent with middle management seeing a 10 per cent cut.
Even before questions emerge in the public interest, what the salary levels are and whether allowances and foreign travel per diem are affected, the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union and the General Agricultural Workers Union have raised red flags; their members were never consulted and no management can unilaterally reduce negotiated conditions of service to the detriment of workers.
If reason does not prevail and the workers embark on any action what would be the industrial atmosphere at the COCOBOD? Meanwhile, some people are asking when the management of COCOBOD realised the crisis because when the nation met to reward and recognise Ghanaian farmers including cocoa farmers, last December, the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr Randy Abbey, was absent because he had travelled outside in pursuit of football matters.
Those same people are saying that even if it was mandatory for him to be there, he should have ignored that to meet the best cocoa farmers.
Personally I pray that our media would help the cause of Ghana by engaging Mr Boahen Aidoo and Dr Abbey, openly to let them explain from their perspectives how the cocoa industry must be managed.
Our desire not to prioritise the export of raw beans but to focus on manufactured products, including chocolate, must be well thought out so that our hands would not be burnt from local companies who would take the beans and not pay back.
