Monrovia – Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Jeremiah Sulunteh is reportedly nearing the end of his term with multiple eyes said to be exploring the journeyman politician as an option for the vice presidency in the upcoming Presidential elections.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
A lot of attention has been pointed toward the presidential candidates in the upcoming presidential elections.
In the coming weeks, FrontPageAfrica begins shedding light on the names being courted in the VP circles.
FrontPageAfrica has learned from multiple sources that the Ambassador has already informed President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf about his intentions of exploring the political waters in 2017.
Ambassador Sulunteh, who ran on the ticket of the National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) in the 2005 presidential elections as a running mate to Ambassador Winston Tubman was heavily credited for helping Tubman’s impressive fourth place finish in those elections.
Sulunteh, a father of vote-rich Bong County where he commands a strong following, played a major role in helping Tubman place fourth in the first round with 9.2% of the vote.
The ticket was strong enough to convince 43, 348 voters in the vote-rich county to cast their votes resulting in a 42.2 percent first round tally, which propelled the pair to first place finish in the county.
Football legend George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change, who won the first round in the national tally, finished second with 10,987 votes for 10.7 percent while Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who later went on to win the elections came in third in the county with 10, 353 votes for 10.1 percent.
Sulunteh’s strong showing in Bong proved pivotal as Sirleaf named him as a member of her cabinet from 2006-2012.
In addition, his supporters say he has some leanings to Margibi County where his mother hails and the Bassa belt. He is married to a Lorma woman from Zorzor District, Lofa County.
While the dynamics may be different for 2017 many political observers see Sulunteh’s strong presence in the county as an asset for the major contenders of the upcoming presidential elections.
In recent months, Sulunteh has been linked with the camps of Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling party, the opposition Liberty Party and the Alternative National Congress of Alexander Cummings although some strains were observed during the recent ruling Unity Party convention in Bong when Sulunteh’s aides became incense that he was not given a speaking slot.
Talks with the VP Boakai selection committee for a running mate are also said to be rocky.
Sulunteh’s record as a proven politician, professor and diplomat couple with his career in the areas of teaching, politics and diplomacy spans more than 35 years putting him in a birds-eye view of those looking for strong vice presidential material.
Ambasador Sulunteh has a bachelor of science (B Sc) in Economics from Cuttington University, Liberia; Master of Public Administration (MPA) from The American University in Cairo, Egypt and a Master of Arts in Economics (MA) from York University in Toronto, Canada.
He has risen through the ranks, from a humble beginning as Community Development Aide at the Bong County Agriculture Development Project in Bong County, Liberia from 1981-1985.
He later served as Project Coordinator for Friends of Liberia (FOL), from 1995 to 1997; while in graduate school, he served as Accounts Service Representative, Royal Bank of Canada, from 1998 to 2000; Financial Aid Advisor, York University, Canada, from 2000, to 2002; upon the completion of graduate school, Ambassador Sulunteh returned to Liberia and served as Associate Vice President for Planning and Development, Cuttington University, from 2002 to 2005.
From 2006-2008, Sulunteh served as Minister of Transport during which time he is credited with drafting a transport master plan for Liberia; developing a policy that influenced a law to change the Monrovia Transport Authority (MTA) to the National Transit Authority (NTA); returned the Robert Flight Information Region (RFIR) from Guinea to Liberia and changed Liberia’s drivers’ license from booklet to the current biometric ID card.
As Minister of Posts & Telecommunications between 2008-2010, Sulunteh’s team was instrumental in drafting the Telecommunications policy of Liberia; liberalizing the licensing regime in the telecom industry that encouraged competition, reduced consumer price and increased telephony, working with stakeholders that led to the landing of the Africa to Europe Cable (ACE) cable to Liberia to boost internet connectivity, building the first ever post office in Voinjama, Lofa County and initiated discussion with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to establish a national address system in Liberia.
As Minister of Labour from 2010-2012, Minister Sulunteh established a one-stop shop for the payment of alien permit registration; strengthened labour unions that curtailed workers’ strike actions; initiated the construction of labor offices in Gbarpolu and River Gee, respectively; strengthened the Minimum Wage Board and encouraged the setting of the current minimum wage rate in Liberia through legislation.
As Liberia’s Ambassador to the U.S. from 2012-2016, Ambassador Sulunteh showed signs of progress at his tour of duty.
In August 2012, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved US$144.5 million in zero interest financing and a US$31.5 million grant for two projects under the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) program to increase electricity supply and lower energy cost in the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
The project is responsible for the rural electrification of towns and villages along the Liberian-Ivorian boarders.
In December 2012 at its quarterly meeting, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Board of Directors selected Liberia as eligible to develop proposals for new compacts that would provide additional funding to the Government of Liberia in its drive to develop Liberia.
Also at its quarterly meeting in December 2013, the MCC Board of Directors reselected Liberia as eligible to continue development of its compact proposal.
Since the tenure of Ambassador Sulunteh, Liberia has met the MCC’s requirements, which resulted in the granting of US$257 million to Liberia in 2015 for the rehabilitation of the Mount Coffee Hydroelectric project in Liberia.
Under the watch of Ambassador Sulunteh, in January of 2013, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, created a “Strategic Platform” to further strengthen US-Liberian relations in the form of a Partnership.
The initiative culminated to signing a final instrument in early 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia.
The year 2014 was a very difficult year for the ambassadors of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, as the three countries battled the deadly virus disease, Ebola. I
n order to heighten awareness of the Ebola Epidemic in Liberia and to seek assistance, Ambassador Sulunteh engaged the American public and friends globally through various interviews on BBC, CBS, CBC, CNN FOX News Radio LIB and VOA.
This period was seen as shuttle diplomacy for Ambassador Sulunteh, as he would engage the States Department, members of Congress and international non-governmental organizations to pay attention to Liberia’s plight.
Ambassador Sulunteh wrote the State Department to officially inform the American people about the Ebola crisis on August 24, 2014, followed by an official letter from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to President Barak Obama on September 9, 2014, after which President Obama announced support for the Ebola fight in Liberia and West Africa.
Ambassador Sulunteh negotiated, received and expedited the first 3 doses of ZMAPP Serum in 2014 for trial in Liberia on three doctors affected with the Ebola Virus Disease. The Serum was sent overnight under the care of Foreign Affairs Minister, The Honorable Augustine K. Ngafuan.
Ambassador Sulunteh also signed on behalf of the Government of Liberia a US$52M grant for Liberia to eradicate the deadly Ebola virus in September 2014. I
n addition, Ambassador Sulunteh was at hand when the Clinton Global Initiative, World Relief and Africare jointly sent a plane load of relief and supplies from New York City to Liberia; worked with the Samaritan Purse of Franklin Graham to send a plane load of Ebola support to Liberia in October 2014.
Ambassador Sulunteh also worked with Global Medics of Canada and sent two shipments of Ebola materials, including tents directly to the S D Cooper Hospital in Monrovia.
Showing his humanitarian side, Family and Friends of Sulunteh (FOS) came to the aid of Ebola victims in 2014 by donating funds to representatives to procure and distribute rice, assorted supplies (buckets and chlorine) for communities in Liberia, including ELWA Hospital and Redemption Hospital in Monrovia; C.H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata, as well as Dolo’s Town in Margibi County; Millionaire Quarter, Chief Compound in Gbarnga, and Taylor-ta in Bong County respectively.
Ambassador Sulunteh who was a Professor at two of Liberia’s highest institutions of learning, the University of Liberia and the Cuttington University, where he taught Public Administration and Economics, respectively, has not forgotten his roots.
Today, he has several students on scholarships at the University of Liberia from six counties, some of who currently work in government and the private sector and also sponsors students at AMEU and United Methodist University (UMU) and the Booker Washington Instituted (BWI).
The Ambassador also provides financial aid to 34 students at Cuttington University and international scholarships for 4 Liberian students, who are currently pursuing studies in the United States including one pursuing a Ph.D and three others pursuing masters’ degrees.
Ambassador Sulunteh also serves as Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Liberia Dujar Association that built and renovated 17 schools across Liberia, as well as, the Dujar Technical College in Kebbeh, Lower Johnsonville, Montserrado County.
The ambassador has been coy about his 2017 play but aides say his looming end to diplomatic duty could signal a shift and readiness to make a splashing return to the political arena hinted to FrontPageAfrica recently:
“I have been tested politically as a vice presidential candidate in 2005; I’ve served as Senior Vice Chairman of the Unity Party (UP) from May 2010- July 2016 and while I do not believe in tribalism, in the context of our growing political landscape, these qualities could be among some critical factors that could point me in the direction I may be looking at.”