ADNews-Monrovia: The President of Liberia, Joseph Nyumah Boakai is facing more pressure from his trusted political Ally, to disengage in a political fight against former Foreign Minister, AMb. Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah, and allow him to serve the regional body “ ECOWAS” as their Ambassador in the Neighboring Sierra Leone.
John S. Morlu II, one of President Boakai’s strong supporters, who formerly served as the Auditor General of the Liberia General Auditing Agency(GAC) has warned Boakai’s administration to step aside from fighting Kemayah and give every Liberian an opportunity to work.
Serving as a guest of the Spoon Talk, on Sunday, August 4, 2024 edition, the former GAC boss cautioned Boakai to disengage in the fight against Kemayah’s nomination to serve as ECOWAS Ambassador.
Morlu encouraged President Joseph Nyumah Boakai to protect the interest of every citizen and provide them with equal job opportunities. irrespective of their political affiliation.
“I told Joseph Nyumah Boakai that when he comes to power, every Liberian should be given the opportunity to work. Nobody should be denied the opportunity to work no matter who they are associated with,” John S. Morlu II emphasized.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Spoon Communication Network , Mr. Stanton A. Witherspoon another die-hard Boakai supporter joined Morlu asking Boakai to avoid what they claimed as an unnecessary fight against the former foreign minister.
It can be recalled that Ambassador Kemayah, a close confidante of ex-President George Manneh Weah, was slated for the position by ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Touray.
However, the Executive Mansion and Ministry of Foreign Affairs reveal a rigorous effort by key officials, Ministers Sylvester Grigsby and Sara Beysolow Nyanti with the approval of President Boakai, to block Kemayah’s appointment. They urged President Boakai to formally object to the appointment.
President Boakai aligned with his top Ministers in fighting against Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah’s appointment as ECOWAS Ambassador to neighboring Sierra Leone, seeking ECOWAS’s attention to nominate a person of his choice.
Boakai’s Press Secretary, Madam Kula Bonah Fofana confirmed how the Boakai administration and ECOWAS have been at the back and forth of the conversation with President Joseph Nyumah Boakai pushing to revoke Amb. Kemayah’s appointment as ECOWAS Resident Representative to Sierra Leone but ECOWAS has rejected the objection of Boakai to Kemayah’s appointment as the action of President Boakai could undermine ECOWAS’s independent function.
“The government has some concerns with the Kemayah appointment, and that was communicated to the ECOWAS and the team has just received through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the response from ECOWAS. And since that response had been given, then again, once the response, the minister and the president, the minister will brief the president and they will take action, so where we are at this point is that this is the actual conversation that ECOWAS did communicate with the minister and the minister has briefed the president but the decision as to the next step has not been reached , and once it is reached, it will be communicated to the public,” Kula previously stated on Spoon Communication Network.
She also confirmed that President Boakai had a side conversation with the Sierra Leon President Julius Maada Bio at the South Korea-Africa Summit in Soul pushing for the government of Sierra Leone to reject Kemayah’s appointment.
When quizzed about whether President Boakai wants Kemayah to serve as Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Sierra Leone or not, Kula responded that “Diplomatically, the president will do whatever he wants to do and he will recommend people whom he wants to recommend, to regional bodies that will support his administration, vision and agenda.”
Meanwhile, President Boakai’s Press Secretary disclosed that there are active Diplomatic conversations ongoing which they are spending more time on and will decide at the appropriate time.
She however refused to state the concerns President Boakai has against Amb. Kemayah’s Appointment with all the effort applied by the panelists on the Spoon Talk.
Boakai’s Press Secretary disclosed that President Boakai has made an extra nomination to ECOWAS through his Foreign Minister to replace Amb. Kemayah.
In the midst of several challenges the country is faced with under President Boakai’s regime, including the fulfillment of his campaign promises such as road accessibility, jobs creation, and fighting corruption among others, Boakai is focusing on fighting his citizen, Amb. Kemayah for a job that is not under his jurisdiction, which is a classical witch hunt against Amb. Kemayah.
Even though it is the prerogative of the president of the ECOWAS Commission to appoint an ECOWAS Resident Representative to Sierra Leone or any other ECOWAS member state of his choice based on the competencies and balanced representation, President Boakai and his ministers of Foreign Affairs and State for Presidential Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti and Sylvester Grigsby are insisting on subjecting the regional body to appoint their choice “Amb. Marjon Kamara” in an effort to get rid of Amb. Kemayah due to his close association with former president George Manneh Weah an action which is a classical political witch hunt.
The interference of President Boakai in the ECOWAS system may undermine the progress of ECOWAS activities in Liberia and also taint the country’s image.
The UP-led administration persisted in its opposition, prompting President Boakai to personally engage Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio during the South Korea-Africa Summit. Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti similarly advocated against Kemayah’s appointment to her Sierra Leonean counterpart Timothy Kaba, both encounters yielding no reversal of ECOWAS’s decision.
Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah is a seasoned Diplomat, philanthropist, activist, and politician who has served in several diplomatic positions including, Foreign Minister under President George Weah’s
administration.
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