Who Heads Foreign Ministry?

In the aftermath of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan exit from the Unity Party (UP) led-government, the Liberian populace especially diplomatic players are wondering as to who occupy the dedicated office?

Diplomatic pundits have expressed confidence that the President will soon, not later nominate a trusted and well educated Liberian to occupy the position of Dean of the Cabinet and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The position of Minister of Foreign Affairs is a dedicated political post which should be occupied by individual with acceptable characters and not a person with questionable character, a veteran diplomatic pundit has noted.

According to sources, several individuals’ names have arose for the position of Foreign Minister but the question is who will President Sirleaf nominate for the post to stair the affairs of the Ministry to the expiration of the president’s tenure?

Among the lists include Madam Marjon V. Kamara, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Liberia to the United Nations in New York. Madam Kamara once worked at the foreign Ministry as a Special Assistant to Cecil Dennis, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs. She has also worked with the United Nations in New York for several years.

According to source, Mr. Gbehzohngar M. Findley, former President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate is among the list of those being considered for the top post; while the current Minister of Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Lewis Brown, name has also emerged. Minister Brown served the position of Foreign Minister under the war-crime detainee, Mr. Charles Taylor’s administration. Mr. Taylor is serving fifty years detention after he was found guilty of war crimes for his role in the Sierra Leonean brutal and bloody war.

The current Minister of Public Works, Mr. William Gyude Moore name has also surfaces; he has the requisite qualification and education with a masters’ degree from George Town University in the United States of America. The university is one of the prestigious universities in America.

While Another names on the lips of diplomatic pundits is Ambassador Charles A. Minor, former Liberian Ambassador to the United States of America and Ambassador William V.S. Bull, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to our sources, the President might considering going for a for a lady to head the Foreign Ministry, adding that the name Dr. Thelma Awori, Honorary Consul General of Liberia to Kampala, Uganda is well suit for the position considering her experiences, education and qualification. She is a graduate of Harvard University; she is the wife of the former Prime Minister of Uganda. She heads the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s Market Women Project.

Observers believed that individual nominated for the prestigious but challenging office must understand the new dynamics of the contemporary emerging global politics, possesses high verbal communication skills, be incorruptible, well respected, be energized and should come from a new order capable of bring new dynamics to Liberia’s foreign policy and international relations with other countries.

Mr. Ngafuan early October resigned his position in government in fulfillment of his persistent pronouncement that he will not be inactive during the 2017 democratic exercises, reiterating that he will be active just as was the case of 2005 and 2011 elections; reiterating that “I told you two years ago that I will not be inactive, people will subject me to all kinds of speculations but I will not be drawn into any of that. As I said before I will not be inactive.

Speaking on a recent radio talks show in Monrovia, Mr. Ngafuan said the people of Liberia should not be if his name is printed on the ballots for 2017 election, adding that the people should be surprised if his name is not printed on the ballot.

In one of his interviews of local journalists in Monrovia, Minister Ngafuan said: “One thing I can assure, 2005 I was active, 2011 I was also active. Although active in the sense of contributing, managing the economy, 2017- I will not be inactive, I can assure you I will not sit idly and allow this country to retrogress, his country must continue to maintain progress and to do even better and what specific role I play in the process will be determined as time goes by. So as I sit, I leave everything to God and I leave everything with the Liberian people.”