Dear Mr. Editor,
I am a concerned employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and wish to bring a serious matter to the attention of our boss lady Foreign Minister Kamara for her urgent and timely attention.
I do have a serious concern on the deployment of Foreign Service Officer in the Foreign Missions abroad.
As a graduate of the FSI, I and many other colleagues have undergone training for months and have graduated from the FSI with the hope of getting some posting outside of Liberia. All of us had our first degree before undertaking the training.
In fact, some of our colleagues were brought back home from the Foreign Service for reasons best known to the administration.
The purpose of my note is about some recent events concerning a veteran diplomat that I have known for many years but been marginalized almost for a year now.
He was appointed as Ambassador, confirmed by the Liberian Senate and Commissioned by the President to take over the Rome Mission in Italy.
I was asked to go along with him as an officer at that Mission and was going to take me along with him at that post but this has never come to fruition.
My distinguished south eastern brother, H.E. Andrew Kronyahn is indeed a very nice and quiet diplomat who knows his talents as a good diplomat.
The Mission in Rome as we all know in the Ministry is a very important Mission for Liberia especially now when we are focusing on a more diversified economy in the Agriculture sector.
The institution responsible for food and nutrition is based in Rome, Italy. The three Rome based United Nations Organization (FAO, IFAD ,WFP) are key organizations in food security and nutrition that needs Liberia’s active engagement.
But with the latest move by the Foreign Ministry of not allowing the commissioned Ambassador to take over the Rome Mission now in my judgement shows that Liberia is not paying that much attention to these multilateral UN organizations in Rome.
Liberia seems to ignore the importance of the Italian-Liberian friendship as well as the FAO, IFAD and WFP contributions to Liberia. Where then is Liberia’s seriousness for food security and nutrition?
The major contributions from these organizations are very much important to Liberia for our food security.
Ambassador Kronyahn was appointed to Rome as a replacement of the former ambassador who was appointed to the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Kronyahn needs to go to post immediately before the President leaves office if we are serious with the bilateral and multilateral relationships of these institutions.
Since the departure of the ambassador in Rome, the successor, who was appointed in the person of veteran diplomat, Ambassador Andrew Kronyahn to take over the Rome mission more than 7 months ago is still sitting here in Monrovia doing nothing.
Ambassador Andrew Kronyahn was confirmed by the Liberian Senate and subsequently commissioned by the President of Liberia thereby paving the way for him to take over the Rome Mission. Ambassador Kronyahn is a veteran diplomat who has served Liberia in Germany, Ghana and several other important countries of the world.
All other Ambassadors that have been named and commissioned have taken up their posts with the exception of Ambassador Kronyahn who is just vagabonding within the walls of the Foreign Ministry doing nothing.
This is the same thing that happened to his cousin Mr. Weefur who was removed from Ivory Coast by President Johnson immediately after coming to office.
To our surprise in the Ministry, with the arrival of the new Foreign Minister Kamara who has served at the United Nations, Mr. Kronyahn’s appointment has now been placed on hold apparently for personal reasons of the foreign Minister. Kronyahn is still in Monrovia and has never had an audience with the Foreign Minister or with the President.
Why are they treating this patriotic Liberian in this wicked manner as if he doesn’t deserve to be given the opportunity after making so much sacrifice for this country during the civil war days when they were not paid for their sacrificial services.
Considering the very importance of the Rome Mission, he was to immediately succeed the former ambassador who has since left that post.
He is now in London but since then, there is no sign of Ambassador Kronyahn going to post take over the Mission in Rome. His agreement was granted long ago by the Italian government.
Strangely and surprisingly, the foreign Ministry has now appointed a Charge’ d’Affaires to run the Mission until next year who has no experience in diplomacy at all.
In fact, the young fellow who was appointed has no basic and appropriate qualifications at all to head a diplomatic Mission not even in Africa.
He doesn’t have any academic qualification nor any training from the Foreign Service Institute of Liberia where officers are trained in order to go out to serve in the foreign Service.
I personally know the fellow even though we have not worked together here in the foreign ministry but when he was working here in Monrovia at the Ministry of transport.
He doesn’t even have a first degree but just a high school diplomat.
He was fortunate to have been taken along with his uncle the former Ambassador to help him. We later saw a letter in our finance section requesting to place him on payroll as a receptionist and aide at the Rome Mission.
Well, that was nothing alarming to be given an opportunity to travel outside to serve as a receptionist at the Rome Mission with Ambassador. He was only paid for that as a receptionist and office aide but nothing else.
Will the Foreign Government of Italy accept such a low level person not even an officer at that mission? He has never worked in the Liberian Foreign Ministry but only served in Rome as a mere receptionist/office boy.
Now, how can such a person with no Foreign Service Institute training experience be appointed as Charge’ d’affaires of such an important Mission?
Is this how we treat Liberian Foreign Service diplomacy? Don’t we respect other countries in diplomacy with the kind of officers we appoint or assign to represent us?
Is this how our Foreign Service has now become so low by appointing non-qualified officers when we continue to have trained officers here within the foreign ministry but are not giving the opportunity to excel? When are we going to put the national interest above individual interest?
This is a complete insult to Liberians. There are individuals who have struggled to obtained first degrees, masters and have also attended the post graduate training of the Foreign Service but are yet to be deployed. I graduated five years ago and still waiting to be deployed in the Foreign Service.
Well, I hope the new incoming government will not treat us the same was as this government. We wonder how the foreign minister allowed such recommendation to be made when more qualified men and women are all over the Foreign Ministry?
Why will the Foreign Minister recommend such a name to the President for an appointment considering the many qualified officers with field experience in the Foreign Ministry anxiously waiting to serve the nation?
The senate committee confirmed Ambassador Kronyahn and the President Commissioned him so many months ago but we don’t see any sign of him going there. It is time that the senate committee on foreign affairs looks into his issue so we can know whether it is based on ethnicity or personal reason.
He is a very quiet fellow who doesn’t want to complain on this matter but as someone who values him, I have taken upon myself to ask the question “what is happening to the Rome Mission”with Ambassador Andrew Kronyahn sitting in Monrovia doing nothing?
Instead of sending senior Foreign Service officer to hold on the mission while waiting for Ambassador Kronyahn, they have brought the Mission to the lowest level by appointing the embassy’s receptionist who served as an office aide.
Why didn’t the Minister appropriately send a senior diplomatic officer to hold on the affairs of the Mission?
Is she saying that a receptionist has the Foreign Ministry experience or training experience to act as Charge’ d’Affaires interacting with high dignitaries of other countries?
I know for sure that he has never attended the Foreign Service Institute which trains the Liberian Foreign Service diplomats.
He doesn’t even have a first degree besides a high school diplomat. Many of the Foreign Service graduates who are currently in the Ministry are frowning seriously on this move by the Foreign Minister.
In support of my fellow graduates of the Foreign Service institute, we would like to know why this is happening now? Can this be corrected for the dignity of Liberia? Please don’t tell me anything about the no money syndrome of the ministry.
The Foreign Ministry should improve the Foreign Service by deploying the right trained officers graduating from the Foreign Service Institute to help the Ambassadors who are appointed instead of circumventing their training policy by employing someone because of “who knows you”.
What kind of assistance or advice such a person can give to the ambassador in time of need? In fact, we are well informed that the young man doesn’t know what he is doing there at the mission since no other officer is assigned there with him.
He is alone and we can imagine the mess that is going on there. How can foreign ministry put square pegs into such round holes?
They should at least place the right people with the appropriate and adequate qualifications there to promote the image of the country.
I thank you very much and hope you will publish my letter of concern as a concerned employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sincerely yours,
Togba Kennedy, Paynesville, Monrovia
[email protected]