GANTA, Nimba – A prominent resident of Ganta, Zawolo Gorgboyee, has accused Nimba’s Assistant Superintendent for Development of using a program held on August 24, 2015 to gain political favor ahead of the 2017 elections.
The program in question was held by D. Dorr Cooper ostensibly to honor the people of Ganta and thank them for their support.
Cooper previously served as mayor of Ganta before being appointed as Assistant County Superintendent for Development.
Gorgboyee said Cooper’s program was an attempt to “attract political relevance.†He added, “[Cooper] claims the program was intended to appreciate the people of Ganta City, however, the invited guests were the sons of the Vice President Joseph Boakai.â€
Gorgboyee suggested that Cooper is seeking political favor from the Vice President, who is seeking the presidency in the 2017 elections. The Liberian constitution empowers the president vast powers to appoint officials across the political landscape including superintendents of counties, ministers, and deputy ministers.
“Certainly, Hon. Cooper is doing this to make himself known to the VP,†Gorgboyee said. “This is not because he wants to appreciate the people of Ganta. If that was the intention of the program, an invitation to the Vice President’s children was unnecessary.â€
Both Cooper and the chairman of the appreciation program, Sam Ta-Krah have denied these accusations.
Ta-Krah said Cooper was acknowledging the people of Ganta not for political gain, but for the high level of support afforded him during his tenure as head of the Ganta.
He continued, “It is a good thing for leaders to remember the role played by their citizens in getting them to the status they find themselves.â€
The appreciation program was held in the auditorium of the John Wesley Pearson High School in Ganta and brought together a cross-section of citizens from Ganta and surrounding areas.
During the program, Cooper made a cash donation of US$1,000 to the Ganta City Corporation which is now headed by Benjamin S. Dokpa.
Featured photo: Jefferson Krua
Bush Chicken has done an excellent job covering rural and urban Liberia thus far. However, with torrential rains cutting off farm to market roads in Nimba County, I doubt the significance of this story? How many Ganta citizens showed up to hear Vice President’s son? Like their fellow citizens across Liberia, Ganta citizens are struggling to survive. How they are making ends meet is worth sharing. Voters in Ganta, like voters across Liberia elected the Liberian president who immediately usurped their powers to elect their own mayors. The former mayor in question was not elected by citizens of Ganta. Like all mayors of all Liberian cities and towns, all ministers of government, all heads of all public corporation, all chiefs of traditional jurisdictions…the president appoints every one in a centralized country with only one office to issue drivers’ license and only one office to register motor vehicles. The current job of the former mayor, Nimba’s Assistant Superintendent for Development is also an appointed post. More power to Mr. Cooper if he is staging a program in Ganta to win the votes of Ganta citizens in the upcoming 2017 elections. Even if he invites the son of Vice President, whose name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s great but that isn’t news unless the $1000.00 was taken from county development funds. As long as politicians in Liberia usurp the powers of the citizens of Liberia, the Republic of Liberia is neither a republic nor a democracy. This type of reporting takes away from actions of citizens to improve their lives and focuses narrowly on the corrupt system that is responsible for endemic corruption, discrimination against graduates from Liberian colleges and universities, unjustifiably high salaries of Liberian senators and representatives (higher than law makers in 48 American states), election related ritualistic killings, insecurity and resulting crushing poverty most Liberians. I hope The Bush Chicken continues to be a catalyst for social change by focusing on actions by citizens and not feeding monster of tyranny that has oppressed Liberians for 168 years.