The Liberia Diplomatic Think Tank (LiDTT) has expressed serious concerns over the prolonged delay by the Government of Liberia to fully disclose and implement the outcomes of investigation on the mass posting of Foreign Service officers by George Weah administration, violating the Foreign Service Manual Part-I Section 1.5.
The group believes that a full disclosure and implementation of the investigation will put to bed the tainted image of the Foreign Service and enhance the credibility of the Foreign Service reform process.
Speaking recently, the group’s Public Relations Office, Michael Tarpeh Young said the institution acknowledges the efforts made thus far by the Liberian Government to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations with development partners around the world through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the stewardship of Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti.
In view of reforming the Liberian Foreign Service, the institution notes that sending non-foreign service graduates on Foreign Mission would impede the integrity of Liberia’s Foreign Mission and expose the inefficiency of Foreign Service Officers to development partners around the world, as they would not be knowledgeable of the functions and duties of diplomats.
Young recommends that recruitment of Foreign Service officers should squarely focus on professional Liberians who have graduated from the Foreign Service Institute, trained and knowledgeable of the functions and responsibilities of the Foreign Service, as enshrined in Part-I Section 1.5 of the Foreign Service Manual on Procedure for Appointment to the Foreign Service (Eligibility and Application).
He wants the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consider the recall of Foreign Service Officers who have overstayed at various missions, as enshrined in Part 1, Section 10.3 of the Foreign Service Manual on Retirement and Pension, and to effectuate the reassigning or rotating Foreign Service Officers as enshrined in Part-I Section 10.9 of the Foreign Service manual on Consultation/Recall of Foreign Service Recall.
“In the next few days, the LiDTT will provide an outcome of the analysis conducted on the progress and challenges of Liberia’s Foreign Policy under H.E. Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s administration through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The analysis will reveal series of reforms needed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Service. The LiDTT is committed to the promotion of Liberia Foreign Policy and the promotion of Emergent Diplomats,” young said.
