As part of its ongoing and uncompromising reform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., has justified the closure of all Liberian consulate offices and its mission staff.
His justification came as a result of the launch of revised honorary consul regulations 2022, which will provide additional clarity and also prescribe compliance systems to enable the government to benefit from the services of individuals who apply for said positions.
Kemayah said the new regulations will allow the government to collect revenue from honorary consulates that provide consular services in jurisdictions where Liberia may not have an active representation.
He also claimed that some honorary Liberian consuls general were using the opportunity to collect revenue and pay themselves, staff, and rent for premises.
Kemayah made the statement on Monday, February 13, when he officially launched the revised honorary consul regulations-2022 in Monrovia.
He said, "No honorary consul will serve for more than six terms, or 12 years."
Kemayah also recalled all Honorary Consuls representing Liberia to other countries with immediate effect to cease from all functions and operations as of the date of the launch of the revised consul regulations 2022.
Describing the new policy as ongoing and uncompromising reform at the Ministry, the Liberian foreign minister said that all honorary consuls will serve a tenure of two years, subject to renewal by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, following the submission of a reapplication, a comprehensive report for the period served, and a revision done by the Standing Committee of the honorary consul that will make a recommendation to the Minister for approval.
Kemayah pointed out that the functions of honorary consuls shall be governed by the revised regulations, the laws of Liberia, and international treaties signed by Liberia, including the Vietnam Convention of Consular Relations.
Minister Kemayah noted that, "When rejected by the Liberian government or receiving state, no one who applied for the post would make claims for all activities undertaken during the processing of his or her application."
Kemayah explained that for several years, honorary consuls providing consular services were not remitting to the government what was due and there was difficulty tracking some of their activities; adding that some honorary consuls were using the opportunity to collect revenue and pay themselves, staff and rent for premises.
He lamented that the revised regulations will set timelines for reporting as well as penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.
"It will Allow for the creation or an up-to-date database and directory of honorary consuls; ensuring that the country benefits from the services of successful applicants in line with the government's development agenda as well as providing tenures for honorary consuls and the number of times an applicant can be allowed to renew their statues as honorary consuls," Kemayah said.
He also used the occasion to warn the consulate general that his decision will not be irreversible as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia because the government wants to ensure that every cent collected at foreign missions are remitted and well spent on the Liberian people.
Kemayah said, "We need money and this is an election year. We need money to develop roads and other things because we cannot continue to depend on our international partners. This is why we need to step up our game as a government."
He further noted that the revised regulations will also track individuals who are serving Liberia, evaluate their performances and actions.
The regulations, he said, will provide tenures for honorary consuls, i.e. the number of times an applicant can be allowed to renew their statuses as Honorary Consuls.
Kemayah has assured of his administration's unbending quest to generate more revenue for the Liberian government.
He said, "Honorary Consuls will report every penny to the Government of Liberia Consolidated Account." Kemayah indicated that obtaining an Honorary Consul title is no longer a requirement for obtaining a Liberian Diplomatic Passport.
He said only the president or minister of foreign affairs can deem it necessary to issue a diplomatic passport to honorary consuls. He added, however, that no Honorary Consul will be given commission from revenue generated for the Liberian government.
"We are going to be more vigilant this year to ensure that every Liberian embassy follows the new regulations to ensure money collected from the missions is remitted to the government's consolidated account at the Central Bank of Liberia," said Kemayah.
According to him, any embassy that does not remit government funds, the mission's head, or its finance director's rent or salary will not be processed.
"When I assumed the leadership of the ministry in 2020, I announced a number of reforms." He continued, "One of such reforms was to review the administrative regulations governing the honorary consuls who were representing the Republic of Liberia in places around the world."
However, during the launch of the revised regulations, Kemayah said that the new consular regulations document will allow for more stringent application and vetting procedures. It is also intended to reactivate and strengthen the standing committee to vet applications and bring on board other actors relevant to the approval process.
Kemayah added: "It will track individuals who are serving Liberia, evaluate their performances through periodic reports to the Ministry, as well as match their words with actions."
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He, however, expressed the hope that the new regulations will yield the necessary imperative dividends for Liberians.
In recent times, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs relieved all of the country's Honorary Consuls around the world from representing the government, a move that could acutely strain access to consular services by people of Liberian descent in various countries.
The Ministry's communication noted that under the new regulations, all honorary consuls will cease to function as representatives of the government of Liberia.
The Minnesota Consulate, before its closure, provided thousands of Liberians in the Midwest with convenient access to passports, visas, and other consular services.
But that is no longer the case since a large number of Liberians must now mail their applications or travel to Washington, DC, where the embassy is located, or to the consulate in New York, to submit their applications. The Minnesota Consulate was established more than ten years ago by the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Meanwhile, the launch of the revised consular regulations was marked by the holding of a cocktail reception in honor of the members of the diplomatic and consular corps at the Cecil Dennis, Jr. Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
