One word which is common these days is scamming. It appears to have emerged from the bowels of the dictionary following the heightened propaganda very much loved by a section of politicians and the youth who defraud unsuspecting people abroad through assortment of tricks on the internet.
It is not a new coinage but it has gained currency because of the practice it represents.
Briefly put, it means using subterfuge or ruse to defraud others.
Someone once remarked that politicians must at one time or the other lie to their people so they win their support during elections, but these do not last long.
There are several forms of it, one being the presentation of promises most of which cannot be fulfilled even under the best of conditions and the smearing of opponents.
For some political parties, propaganda is a cornerstone of their operations and so no action or remarks from them is devoid of an iota of scamming.
The leader of a political party even stated that during political campaigning, it is standard practice to blend truth and lies as a means of appealing to the people.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) have over the years mastered the art of propaganda, their template a replica of Hitler’s Goebbels.
Describing a goat as a cow as stated by Baba Jamal is from the standards of the NDC.
When the party lead campaigners hit the road and aggressively to seek votes, they especially target some segments of the population —mining areas, cocoa farming areas and conflict zones, Bawku in particularly isolated for special treatment.
While in the mining areas illegal miners were assured of unfettered activities, the same party turned round to complain about how galamsey was destroying our environment and water bodies. Arguably, it was the most effective propaganda programme under the NDC. No wonder all those who partook in it were rewarded with juicy appointments.
As for cocoa farmers, they were told how the then Akufo-Addo government was not being fair to them by offering them so little in terms of prices for their produce.
Yesterday, cocoa farmers were greeted with a paltry increase in the producer price of cocoa, much to their chagrin.
Price of the golden beans has been increased from GH¢3,100 to GH¢3,228 per 64 kg bag. The marginal increase therefore is GH¢128.
It will be recalled that the NDC promised at the height of their campaign that they would increase the price to $6,000 at a time the world price was $5,000 per tonne.
This reflects a 4.1 % rise in cedi terms and 62.58% in dollar terms.
Politics is an interesting occupation because it is one engagement which easily exposes ladies and gentlemen for who lies constitute a cornerstone.
For some, all politicians are the same. We dispute this stance because there are others or political groupings who are mindful about their promises: they know what is feasible and what is not regardless of the consequences.
Today, cocoa farmers would be in a better position to sieve the grains from the chaff.