MacDella Cooper Slams the Building of Roads When Liberians are Hungry

MONROVIA – Former Presidential Candidate in the 2017 General and Presidential Elections MacDella Cooper has heavily criticized the George Weah-led government’s plans to squarely concentrate on the construction of roads and not giving much priority to improving the livelihoods of Liberians. 

Speaking to journalists in Monrovia over the weekend, Madam Cooper said, the Coalition for Democratic Change-led (CDC) government will make no significant impact when citizens are starving and are undergoing serious financial strangulations. 

She described the current economic status of the country as “deplorable,” noting that, much attention should be given to the recovery of the country’s economy.

According to Madam Cooper, though building roads is important, it is not as equally important to diversifying the economy where ordinary Liberians will benefit directly from financial inflows. 

She said it makes no sense when roads are being constructed in the faces of hungry people who situation may likely lead to their deaths. 

The statement from the Liberia Restoration Party (LRP) political leader comes following weeks of President George Manneh Weah 3^rd State of the Nation Address where he mentioned the construction of roads across the country as the lead priority for his government in the remaining years of his tenure. 

“Yes, as a country we need roads but that should not surpass the general interest of the population,” Madam Cooper averred. 

She further said, “…when we cannot do the small things, how are we going to build the big roads? We cannot eat the roads today but we need to eat today before we build the roads.”

“I think we need to diversify our economy, put up a plan and make sure whatever plan we have we speak it to the public so that the public knows whether we going to remain like this or we going to progress in the future,” she added. 

At the same time, Madam Cooper has described as “unfortunate” the apparent shortage of gasoline on the local market.

She said the current situation furthered heightened the already ‘shambles’ economy of the country and places ordinary citizens, in what she called, a more disgusting situation. 

“Imagine people standing in long queue just to get gas, this sends a very bad signal of our country,” Madam Cooper accentuates.  

She explains, “Our young men who are on the streets doing Kehkeh business is finding it extremely difficult to get gas, so pretty tell me, how they are going to survive with such a situation? 

And also we have our market women who are involved in frozen food business. Most of them don’t depend on the national electricity grid because it’s often frustrating, and because of such situation they normally used their generators. With this prevailing situation in our country those women will not be able to sufficiently support their families.”

“I think we need to diversify our economy, put up a plan and make sure whatever plan we have we speak it to the public so that the public knows whether we going to remain like this or we going to progress in the future”

– Ms. McDella Cooper, former presidential candidate (2017)

Meanwhile, Madam Cooper who was the lone female Presidential candidate in the 2017 General and Presidential Candidate, says she will not participate in the pending Special Senatorial election that is expected to take place in October this year. 

She said though she has participated in two separate national elections for two distinct positions (the Presidency and Montserrado Senatorial position), she has decided this time around,  to support and canvas for other female candidates who will express interest to contest in the impending 2020 Senatorial election.  

According to the National Elections Commission (NEC), Candidate Cooper during the 2017 elections collected 11, 645 votes amounting to 0.7% of the total votes cast across the country.