The Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., has been given the Liberia National Police’s highest honor, Honorary Chief of Police, and gowned in recognition of his immense contributions to the police force when he served as Ambassador at Liberia’s Permanent Mission at the UN in New York.
Minister Kemayah was gowned Wednesday, January 13, 2020 by Police Inspector General, Col. Patrick T. Sudue, at Anglers Bar on Capitol Hill during a dinner held by police authorities in honor of four departing LNP Peacekeepers, who are due to partake in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
The four LNP officers commissioned to serve in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan are the team leader, Chief Superintendent Togba J. Massaquoi, Chief Superintendent Anthony Blaye, Superintendent Rachel Briggs Harris and Sergeant Abdullai Dukuly, Jr.
In addition to gowning him, Col. Sudue along with the National Security Advisor to the President, Jefferson Karmon, and other senior joint security officials pinned Minister Kemayah with a golden insignia or police batch, with the inscription, “Chief of Police”, making him a honorary Senior Officer of the Liberia National Police.
Col. Sudue and the LNP bestowed the honor on Minister Kemayah in recognition of his role in making the necessary moves while serving as Liberia’s Ambassador to the United Nations that led to the acceptance of Liberia’s contribution of Police Force to peacekeeping missions of the United Nations.
The first batch of Liberian Police Peacekeepers on a UN peacekeeping mission were scheduled to depart Liberia for South Sudan on Thursday, January 14, 2020.
“Sir, we would like to bless God for you and your family. Please extend to your wife that the Liberia National Police appreciates her. It’s because of her you are here. Thank you; thanks to your family; thanks for all that you have done for the LNP. We’ll always remember you,” Col. Sudue said during the gowning ceremony.
Col. Sudue recalled that, in his quest to have Liberian police officers serving in UN peacekeeping missions, he was invited to New York in December 2018 by then Liberia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, now Foreign Minister, Kemayah.
In that meeting, Col. Sudue recalled, Minister Kemayah afforded him the opportunity to meet the officer in charge of United Nations Police (UNPOL), where modalities on Liberian police on UN peacekeeping missions were highlighted. He said a commitment was made to include LNP officers on a UN peacekeeping mission.
Col. Sudue told the departing LNP officers to exhibit high quality discipline, diligent and dutiful on the mission as they are bearing the Flag of the Republic of Liberia.
Responding after he was gowned, Foreign Minister, H.E. Dee – Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., said he was surprise by how the police had honored him, saying he never expected it.
“I’m surprised! I never expected this. I was working at [my] office and the Inspector General kept calling me, I answered him twice about coming to this program. All I know from the letter he wrote is that I am coming for a dinner—a farewell dinner in honor of our officers leaving for this historic mission,” Minister Kemayah said.
The Foreign Minister thanked the Police Inspector General, his team of leaders and the entire LNP for the honor. Minister Kemayah dedicated the honor to H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, adding that it is within the wisdom of the President that he was able to go to the UN as Liberia’s Ambassador.
According to Minister Kemayah, through the instrumentality, mandate, guidance and directives of President Weah, Liberia was elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for a three-year tenure, starting January 1, 2021, the first time in 30 years.