By Bill W. Cooper
Liberian economist Samuel Jackson has questioned the Unity Party (UP) standard bearer’s selection of Nimba County Senator Jeremiah Koung as his running for the upcoming October 10, general elections.
Mr. Jackson, who is also a supportive member of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)-led government also questioned the “moral compass” of former Vice President Joseph Boakai in wanting to become President of Liberia.
He said, “To be honest, while the desperate decision by Boakai to endorse Koung as his running mate is aimed at winning the Presidential election, Boakai may likely ‘win’ but Liberia will be the loser! So, choosing Koung is not the act or behavior of a statesman, but that of a desperado.”
On Friday, April 28, 2023, Ambassador Joseph announced his political marriage with Senator Koung, the political leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), amidst misconceptions and disbeliefs.
The mixed reactions since the announcement was greeted by some welcoming the pick, while others criticized the decision on grounds that Koung cannot be trusted politically.
Some Liberians including political pundits also stated that VP Boakai’s choice over those that were with the UP during its troubling days clearly contradicts his quest to ensure justice is served for Liberian war victims based on the relationship of Koung to Prince Y. Johnson who was recently sanctioned by the U.S government.
To add to the criticism, economist Jackson, on his Facebook page said, “Besides, where is Uncle Joseph Boakai’s moral compass when he demonstrates to Liberians and the international community that he is supremely comfortable with the godson of a man who chopped off former President Doe’s ears and sexual organs while drinking Budweiser beer and giggling?”
“I thought at this stage of our history, we are supposed to be working in harmony to ensure that Prince Johnson accounts for the grotesque trauma that he visited upon our dear country but regrettably, we are unwittingly shielding the man for the so-called electoral votes anticipated from ‘vote-rich’ Nimba County,” he said.
Jackson asked rhetorically, “By the way, how much comfort level does this Boakai-Koung team give to brothers and sisters from Grand Gedeh? What’s about the Mandingoes in Nimba who are still grappling with the issues of land? How can we be confident that the protégé of Prince Johnson will not resurrect the ugly ghost of the past?”
“Koung has been conducting himself as a questionable lawmaker; therefore, Liberians don’t know where he stands with respect to the legislative agenda and issues of genuine reconciliation especially when his mentor, Prince Johnson, often boasts about murdering Doe,” he maintained.
The CDC stalwart further indicated that another issue that is worth mentioning is that Sen. Koung has been vastly complicit in promoting and upholding the machinery of corruption in the country, noting that as a lawmaker, he has never raised a voice of protest against the wretched excesses of the CDC government.
“Instead, he is widely known within legislative circles as a legislator who enriches himself on the Ways & Means Committee while poor people continue to suffer needlessly. In fact, like Prince Johnson, rumors abound that Koung has been involved in the cannibalization of politics in Nimba-the demonic act of extracting and selling body parts of children,” Jackson continued.
“So, how come, Boakai, who boasts about a forty-year government experience, dig into a polluted mud hole for clean water? But those who genuinely love Liberia should be concerned about the huge risk the Boakai-Koung ticket poses to the immediate future of our country both domestically and on the international front. Imagine, Prince Johnson hovering in the backroom as de facto Vice President and President,” he added.
