The Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., has emphasized that change is inevitable, and those who resist change are either doing so because they benefit from the spoils of a system or only want to work as usual, which do not augur well for the development of any nation.
“Change or reform is not an easy thing to embark on. There is nowhere in the world that change is accepted just from the unset by everyone. People resist change for many reasons: some resist change because when that change takes effect it minimizes their influence; while some just prefer to do things the old way because the system benefits a selected few but the change proposes benefitting everyone,” Minister Kemayah noted.
According to Minister Kemayah, when he was called upon by His Excellency, President George Manneh Weah, to serve at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subsequently confirmed by the Liberian Senate during the last quarter of 2020, what ran to mind was, “What can we do in that short period of time to add value to the nation’s governance structure?” But again the sense of reasoning resonated that it is not how long one serves but how well he serves, and this was how they at the ministry decided to lead a reform that will not only be realized, but actualized, to achieve the development agenda of the ministry and that of the Republic of Liberia.
He rained praises on President Weah for affording him the opportunity to serve at the ministry, and reaffirmed his commitment and resolve to the flagship of the national development agenda of President Weah.
Minister Kemayah made the remarks on Monday, February 8, 2020, when he proudly received the Hot Pepper and Women Voices’ Minister of the Year 2020 awards for his unrivalled contribution to nation’s growth among cabinet ministers of President George M. Weah’s government.
Giving a brief background about the award, the News Editor of the Hot Pepper, Sheikh O. Jalloh, informed the gathering that Minister Kemayah was nominated along with a number of other ministers for the award, but the editorial staff of the paper vetted the nominees, and his effort to regain the lost image of the nation that was created by the Passport Section of the ministry in a short period of time placed him ahead of the other nominees. Similarly, the Sub-Editor of the Women Voices made emphasis of the Minister’s reform at the Passport Division.
Receiving the certificates from the reputable media institutions, Minister Kemayah, on behalf of himself and his family, expressed thanks and appreciation to the media institutions. He also expressed thanks to President Weah and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) for affording him the opportunity to serve. He dedicated the awards to President Weah and the family of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He noted, “I heard you loud and clear about what was obtaining at the Passport Division, but the work of the ministry, in terms of reform, is not over. For me it’s just beginning.” He disclosed that the ministry’s first intensive month-long training for would-be Foreign Service officers will be launched on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium at 11:00 a.m.
He recognized the effort of his senior and junior management teams, desk officers and staffs of the ministry for helping him to achieve the reform goals of the ministry which, in return, has earned them the prestigious awards. He said, without them, this could not have been possible.