As the National Election Commission (NEC) is set to declare campaign open for the October 10, 2023 general and presidential elections on August 5, former Montserrado County’s district #5 Representative-aspirant, Tocqueville W. Dolo, and his team members have pledged their unflinching support to the representative bid of Priscilla A. Cooper, who is contesting on the former Unity Party ticket in the same district.
“I am happy today because we are here to accept change—to take a decision that history will record us for, that the young people will see the light and pass through it,” former aspirant Dolo said during the endorsement ceremony. “That today, Bassa Town is rising up. We took this journey because Bassa Town has been neglected.”
According to Dolo, he and aspirant Cooper share the same vision, noting that since his contesting timing was not right he is supporting Cooper who will continue his political ideology.
“And in life when you dream, everyone will have similar dream; and [if] we want to implement the similar dream we have. It means that we will not have a supporter of the dream. So I, having realized that my engagement and timing was not right, we started to have discussion with people who have like-minds to be able to see the frustration and tears of Bassa Town,” former aspirant Dolo stated.
During the program, held on Sunday in the community, several youth groupings and former aspirant Dolo and team said that aspirant Cooper is the best choice for the district, who will identify with the residents of Bassa Town Community, which is the largest community in the district. It has five blocks, but lacks basic utilities as compared to other communities in Montserrado County and its environs, according to the citizens in whose faces were the evidence of political marginalization.
“We came to this [decision] because Bassa Town has been neglected, a community with over ten thousand registered voters but still lacks basic services. We took on the courage to come to this race,” Dolo said.
The youth groupings, Dolo and his supporters said that Cooper is their political savior, and they have reached the decision after vetting those who are in the race with her.
“Having realized all the circumstances, and having seen the desire of Honorable Priscilia Cooper, that is in line with my desire, we decided to support her idea to ensure that Bassa Town benefits this time around,” Dolo said. “So today, I call you here for us to join hands together to support a stateswoman, a friend who understands the suffering masses, a friend who has been there and is a witness and testimony to lot of friends. She understands when a man says, ‘I want to start my day,’ a friend who does not look down on people, a friend who empowers and understands people’s needs. A friend today, who will not say ‘Bassa Town people your wait, I am sleeping, when I wake up, I will come there,’ when you knock at her door. With these commonalities, I want us join hands together to support honorable Prescilia A. Cooper for the seat of Representative of this district. We are giving you the key of the district #5 and we are the largest community in district #5.”
In an acceptance speech, Representative aspirant Cooper thanked her former contender and said that, though both share the same ideology, she is amazed that he and his team can crossover with asking for anything.
“I will not let you down. I have not seen a unique community like Bassa Town. I have to enter with the concern of the leaders,” aspirant Cooper said. “I am Priscilla Abram Cooper, and I am contesting on the Unity Party ticket for Montserrado County’s district #5 representative seat. Our political system does not come from one party. My team consist of more [partisans] from various political parties. I have more CDCians on my team than any political party. The country should be centered on Liberians and not political parties. We are going to win this district seat.”
She challenged Liberians not to be enticed with politicians’ campaign gestures, which will include rice donation, few months’ rent payment, short-term scholarship, and so on.
“The people of district #5 should elect a leader that will lead them and not one that will rule them, a leader like myself,” she said. “Representatives went out and built hand pump, toilet; they are limiting you. We live in a modern society. You and myself [I] should decide which type of toilet we [should] construct or put in our homes. You and myself [I] should decide whether we will dig borehole and put a tank up, or run a water and sewer line in our homes. Campaign will officially start on the fifth of August. Lots of people or aspirants are coming with uncommon favor. I say uncommon favor because they did not help you to pay your child or children’s school fees, rent, empower you, and so on, but now they are coming to give you short scholarship. You don’t have to come from government before you start helping people.”
