MONROVIA — Controversy has intensified over the proposed US$1.8 million budget for the Office of the Speaker of the 5th National Legislature, coinciding with heightened public attention on Madam MacDella Cooper, political advisor to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and wife of Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon. Critics argue that the proposed increase highlights questionable spending priorities at a time when ordinary Liberians continue to face economic hardship.
Wantoe Teah Wantoe, a staunch member of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), led the criticism in a statement on Friday, December 19, 2025, titled: “Comfort Over Country: Speaker’s Office Gorges on $1.8M Budget While Ordinary Liberians Starve for Services.” He noted that the focus should not be on Madam Cooper’s relationship with the Speaker but on how public resources are being allocated.
“The truth is that the Speaker is lavishing in public resources, and the budget tells that story far more clearly than any introduction ever could,” Wantoe wrote, emphasizing that this issue goes beyond personal relationships to the use of taxpayer funds.
According to his analysis, the Office of the Speaker is seeking a near 20 percent increase in its FY2026 budget, requesting US$1.8 million after receiving US$1.5 million in FY2025 and overspending by close to US$65,000. He noted that the excess funds were largely directed toward travel, fuel, hospitality, and operational comfort, rather than strengthening legislative oversight or lawmaking capacity.
Wantoe highlighted that nearly US$1 million of the proposed budget is now tied directly to movement and convenience. “So no, this is not about titles or relationships. It is about how power behaves when it is well fed,” he wrote, stressing the need for public scrutiny of government allocations.
At a time when civil servants face stagnant wages, inflation affects market vendors, and crucial sectors like health and education remain underfunded, Wantoe said that the Speaker’s budgetary indulgence reflects misplaced priorities. “Private relationships are private. Public money is not,” he stated.
The commentary comes as Madam Cooper continues to tour the Southeast with Speaker Koon, fulfilling her role as political advisor. Despite criticism, Cooper remains one of Liberia’s most recognized public figures, known for her philanthropic work, her foundation, the MacDella Cooper Foundation, and the MacDella Cooper Academy.
She is also a former international model and a 2017 presidential candidate, with a public record that includes personal disclosures about her family life. Notably, she has three children with three different men: Hilary George Weah with former President George Weah, Ella‑Dean with American business leader Richard Parsons, and a third child with the late advertising executive Thomas Tafuto.
Media coverage has frequently noted her connections to prominent figures, including George Weah and her current spouse, Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, as well as her best friend ex-husband Alioune Kebe, a former Senegalese footballer. These personal details, while often reported, have no bearing on her public service and advisory role.
Responding to public discourse around her private life, V. Vehzelee Sumo, media officer in the Office of the Speaker, criticized the media’s focus on sensationalism. “When I see the public obsession of a private relationship between two consenting adults, it tells me how much the society enjoys this tabloid-driven, sensationalist, regressive, frivolous, attention-misdirected, bread-and-circus culture,” Sumo wrote.
He continued, “Sadly, some segments of the media are leading this substance-deficient public discourse. The question that remains unanswered, in my Liberian voice is, ‘AND SO WHAT’!!! Compliments of the season, y’all.”
The debate highlights a broader conversation about the line between public interest and personal privacy, juxtaposed with concerns over fiscal responsibility and transparency in government offices. As the FY2026 budget proposal moves forward, scrutiny of the Speaker’s allocations and the priorities they represent is likely to remain a topic of national discussion.
Madam Cooper’s role in the government and her public profile continue to draw attention, but commentators argue that the central issue remains how public funds are managed, and whether Liberia’s elected leaders are balancing comfort and accountability responsibly.
