Konneh Picks Bones with Kemayah Says, “If Liberia Has Got A Good Foreign Minister, McGill & Others Would Not Have Been Sanctioned”

By Mark N. Mengonfia-mmenginfia@mail.com

Foreign Minister, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah has come under the stoplight due to this “inability to properly” represent Liberia on international scene.

Speaking at the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinions, former Liberian Minister of Finance, Amara M Konneh pointed accusing fingers at Minister Kemayah for not playing his role at the international level.

He said, “You cannot have a Foreign Minister who doesn’t visit America.”

Konneh said, if Liberia has got forceful Minister who was working to protect the image of Liberia, the shame that befell Minister of State Nathaniel McGill, National Port Authority Managing Director Bill Twehway and Solicitor General Sayma Syrenius Cephus would not have happened.

He said, not only did it bring shame to the three top government officials, but it reduces the image of Liberia which was reclaimed many years back after years of civil unrest.

Former Finance Minister, Amara Konneh attributed the recent sanctions imposed on three of Liberia’s top officials to the inability of Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Kemayah to travel to the US.

Minister of State Nathaniel McGill, National Port Authority Managing Director Bill Twehway and Solicitor General Sayma Syrenius Cephus were recently sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for public corruption.

Since they were sanctioned, multiple calls have been made to President George M. Weah to have the trio replaced because of the reasons they were scanned, but for the former Minister of Finance sees it differently.

He said, “Our country is stable, but our country’s foreign policy is weak.”

The former Minister of Finance added, “This scansion that happened, I do not like it for those that have been affected, I don’t. Nobody should be happy for bad things to happen to their fellow human beings, that’s not how my father raised me.”

Konneh stressed, “If you have a good foreign minister with a good foreign policy with a relationship with the Americans, it would not have happened.”

Former Minister Konneh said through a better engagement and provision of facts to the Americans, those individuals would have been sanctioned by different means.

Sounding like he feels the pains, shame and disgrace of the trio sanctioned top government officials, Konneh said, “we should not celebrate harms on families, it is not good, alright, it is not good. We know the Americans, they are very thorough, but sometimes through engagements, you can provide facts they don’t have to make your case before it becomes public.”

He asked a rhetorical question as to who was responsible and in replied by subjecting that it is the foreign minister who is to be blamed.

“When you have Foreign Minister who does not go to American, when you have a foreign minister who does not go anywhere, he is like a minister of internal affairs what do you expect?” He inquired.

Bringing in a sense of nationalism, Konneh said he was not happy that those officials of government had to suffer such a traumatic sanctions, but he was angry because of the damage it caused reputation of Liberia as a country.

He said, “I am not taking a shot at the government I am angry becomes our country’s reputation is at risk. This is how a country becomes a pariah state.”

Pariah State as used by the Former Minister of Finance is a nation considered to be an outcast in the international community.”

He told the gathering that Liberia as a nation was listed among pariah state, but due to the work they did in the last administration, Liberia was delisted and the image was reclaimed and is back as one of those countries that have its space in the international community.

“We worked hard to remove Liberia from the pariah status and we cannot allow it to go back there and that why I am back.”

Years ago, Liberia plus other eleven countries including Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Cambodia, Chile, Haiti, Iran, Liberia, Paraguay, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uganda.

Amara has said he is back to be a senator in Liberia to help in drafting good policies that will build the country’s image. “I will be an independent candidate for the seat of senator in Gbarpue or Montserrado County. I will be a good senator”, he boasted of his quality to represent Liberians at the Liberian Senate.