Monrovia – Trumpeting that the time has come for the transformation of Liberia, Senator Oscar Cooper(NPP, Margibi) today accepted the nomination to contest the Presidency of Liberia, adding to a laundry list of more than 20 candidates looking to govern a little over 4.5 million population.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
At a petitioning ceremony on his farm in Kakata, Margibi County, today, Senator Cooper, has been a member of the Senate since 2012 was previously the Chair of the Public Works and Rural Development Committee and current co-Chair of the Defense, Intelligence, Security and Veteran Affairs Committee and member of the Banking and Currency Education and Public Administration committees.
He told his petitioners Saturday that the in order for Liberian children to stop being breadwinners of the society, serious efforts need to be placed on quality education and rebuilding the economy.
“Job creation, provision of basic health services to our people will be the centerpiece of my government,” said the Senator, who also pledged to cut salary of government officials.
Senator Cooper is part of a legislative body that has failed to disclosed their salaries and benefits despite several attempts by FrontPageAfrica through the Freedom of Information Act to do so.
His candidacy is likely to throw a monkey wrench within the Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Party with Benoni Urey of the All Liberia Party already facing challenge from the George Weah-Jewel Howard-Taylor combo.
Former President Charles Taylor, in a phone call from prison on the occassion of his 69th birthday urged his supporters to return to the NPP base.
“Do not be persuaded by the scorpion that is telling the frog, take me across the river it will be ok, it will not be ok. So, I am appealing to all of my friends to return to their base, the base?
The NPP. The NPP grew out of the NPFL. Return to your base – and everything will be alright.”
The NPP recently formed a coalition with the Congress for Democratic Change of football legend George Weah; the Liberian Destiny Party of his former Finance Minister Nathaniel Barnes and the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) of former Speaker Alex Tyler.
Despite trumpeting himself as an Independent, Senator Cooper, who unsuccessful sought the Senate Pro Temp post in a losing cause to Senator Armah Jallah, in 2015, was an active player during the civil war.
Senator Cooper is one of 50 Liberians, including the current President in the report to be banned from politics for 30 years. It was recommended that they be prosecuted and further probe but the report is yet to be implemented.
During the height of the civil war, Cooper, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, Inland Logging company under the name of Captain Marvel.
In a 2010 report entitled, Bankrolling Brutality, Global Witness reported that the ILC, based in Sinoe County, was owned by Maurice and Oscar Cooper, both long-term associates of Taylor.
“Oscar Cooper was a former artillery commander of Taylor’s NPFL. He was also known as Captain Marvel a title he acquired during his NPFL days.
He successfully built up ILC’s private militia, which came to be known as one of the most brutal militia groups in Liberia.Timber concessions owned by all of the above were declared null and void by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in 2005 based on the finding that they were all non-compliant with Liberian law,” the report stated.