By Kruah Thompson
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet, Ambassador Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., has officially recalled Liberian ambassadors stationed in various countries following expiration of their diplomatic tenures.
While full detail of this decision remains undisclosed, Minister Kemayah recognizes a need to share certain aspects with the public. “We didn’t initially intend to publicize this information as we typically manage ministry affairs privately, but circumstances have compelled us to implement these regulations,” he said
He told a press briefing in Monrovia recently at the Ministry of Information, accompanied by other staff, who purposely came to testify whether their recent decision was in line with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs administrative policies, that the Liberian Embassy in the United Kingdom recently underwent a change in leadership, where Ambassador Doris Dickson has been replaced by the Deputy Minister for Administrative Affairs.
While he did not mention the Deputy Minister by name, the Dean of the Cabinet however did reveal that some of these ambassadors have served for extended periods, up to 20 years, and the UK government had requested for them to either renew their status or depart the country.
Making his rounds during the briefing, the Foreign Minister told this publication that some of the diplomats have refused to return home, and have resorted to using social media to spread false information while seeking political asylum.
“Some of their social media posts describe me as someone targeting them individually, but I want to emphasize, targeting who and for what?” He asked.
Continuing on the Facebook posts, he further clarified that the Government of Liberia is not targeting anyone, as it is guided by the core values and principles of diplomacy.
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He said any former diplomatic official in a foreign country as a local staff of a Liberian embassy and does not wish to return home, must try to regularize their documents but he will not affix his signature to any document to grant said person a diplomatic status after expiration of his or her tenure.
He stressed that positions abroad should eventually be rotated, similar to practices in countries like Ghana and Togo, where ambassadors often serve for two to three years.
Kemayen emphasized that ambassadors should not have the authority to determine personnel assignments, adding that the ministry is yet to fully implement reforms, but for now, they will ensure the maximum service duration in the foreign service remains at three years, unrelated to State Department documentation.
“So the country varies; for Germany is ten years and USA is five years, but for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is three years maximum before you serve in the Foreign Service.”
He added that the Foreign Service manual has been reviewed and revised and they are currently waiting for return of a staff Cllr. Gray from abroad to submit a copy, and they will not single out anyone for targeting, but any person found to be non-compliant with the ministry’s policies will face consequences. Editing by Jonathan Browne
