Monrovia – Mr. D. Maxwell Kemaya, President George Manneh Weah’s nominee as Permanent Representative to the United Nations has taken a swipe at critics who have been having a field day over his choice of clothing at President Weah’s inauguration in January.
Mr. Kemaya’s non-traditional fashion statement which went viral in January resurrected chatters recently when he was nominated as the President’s choice to replace Ambassador Lewis Gaseeda Brown.
President Weah’s recall of Ambassador Brown came as a shock to many, coming just days before the start of the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) which kicks off September 18, 2018 at the UN headquarters in New York.
Ambassador Brown was instructed by Foreign Affairs Minister Milton Gbehzonga Findley to immediately pack up and leave his post for Monrovia.
In acknowledging his recall, Ambassador Brown thanked the government for giving him a chance to serve for the past seven months.
Kemaya, quizzed by Senator Conmany Wesseh(UP, River Gee) during his confirmation last week, Mr. Kemaya said he did not know why everyone is making a fuss over his attire, suggesting that the photograph generating a lot of buzz on social media.
Said Mr. Kemaya: “Where you sit and I can tell you, we all here are aware of technology. What you have on there – a detractor is able to put something there and blow it up to even as big as Liberia. So, more beside, the Nigerians, for instance, our colleagues for example, you see them with their attires, how they want it as it is. The focus, for me, why the issue of dress code is important, it is who is in the dress code, the content. It is not the size of the board that matters but what’s deep is in that board.”
Haven’t said that, Mr. Kemaya explained that he purchased the attire at a store in North Carolina, USA – and infact, it wasn’t his first time wearing it. “Let me remind you that what you saw, December 2010 in North Carolina, was where I obtained that suit among many.”
Mr. Kemaya said he also wore the suit during his induction as head of the Liberia Business Association(LIBA) on November 13, 2011. “You can visit AB Tolbert Road, LIBA headquarters, you will see the picture in that very attire and then you will ask the question whether it’s the same that was there.”
The former LIBA boss lamented that detractors had doctored the photograph of him in the attire to make him look bad. “We are in a society where detractors can do anything. They can even take off your clothes, sorry and take off my clothes and carry on different activities. So, its good you ask the question. That is not a representation. What you see on me as my attire, is my standard measurement and even this, detractors can take it off and turn it into what they want to turn it into. I’m quite aware from our growing up to present, we know and respect dress code as to what it is. But given your interest in the issue, that is fine.”
Mr. Kemaya’s critics have been critical, not just of him but also of his appointment by the President with many raising concerns about his preparedness for the job and whether he has the experience to get the job done.
As President Weah prepares for the UNGA in a few day’s time, it is unclear whether Mr. Kemaya will be confirmed in time to present his paperwork to the UN Secretary General for Liberia to have a representative in place before the UNGA kicks off.
Diplomatic observers say the timing and abruptness of the recall just days before the UNGA could muddy preparations for the president’s arrival.