Principal Deputy Accuses Foreign Min of Backbiting

IPNews – Monrovia – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs may soon explode into a serious confusion if nothing is done now to quench the flame that is building into an inferno between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dee Maxwell Saah Kemaya, Sr and principal Deputy, Mr. Henry B. Fahnbulleh.

In a text message addressed to Foreign Minister Kemaya, which Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Fahnbulleh had shared with other colleague Deputy Ministers of the Foreign Ministry, he (Fahnbulleh) attempts to school the Minister about his role and functions as deputy and other qualifications that qualify him for the post: “Minister, I want you to know that I, Henry B. Fahnbulleh, am the Principal Deputy and I am quite cognizant of my functions as enshrined in the Executive Law. My first job in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was Research Analyst, and not Deputy Minister. So, I am au courant with the functions of every office in the Ministry because I was mentored by great bosses including the late Christopher Minikon, Amb. William Bull, Amb. George W. Wallace, Hon. Monie R. Captan and Hon. William K. Ledlum.”

Dep. Min. Fahnbulleh urged his boss to go back and read the organogram of the Ministry. “I will hope that Your Excellency could do a mandate and functions review of the Office of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/ Principal Deputy, and perhaps the disparaging comments would cease.”

Fahnbulleh, who once served as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives, went further to blow his own horn: “I am a very supportive person, Minister, but equally I am not a weak and subservient person.”

Further being frank with his boss, he requests for a meeting with the Foreign Minister, who is said to be out of the country at the moment and hopes that negative backbiting comments allegedly made against him by his boss, would stop.

“I am proposing a meeting upon Your Excellency’s return and I want to have a discussion because I am not pleased with the manner and form in which you speak disparagingly about me and pretend that cordiality exists. I am not a pretentious person! If an instruction was given to other staff and you have an inquiry, direct such inquiry to me who had issued it in the first place, but don’t go back chastising the staff that implemented my instruction as if we are in a ‘TURF WAR’.”

“The running of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is every one of us responsibility, with you as team leader. That’s why President [George] Weah appointed us. If President Weah had deemed our respective offices worthless, those offices would not have existed and we would not have been appointed.”

He further accused the Minister of not living up his statement of “mutual respect”.

“I am aware of the Henry Wolo’s (EPS 51) situation and all what you said; I am also aware of Minister Peso Tarr nephew’s situation and all that you said; and not to mention this evening’s situation as well. To be quite honest with you Honorable Minister, if you proceed along this path that no other office in the Ministry is important and should not function except yours, the Ministry’s mandate will be grossly undermined by self-inflicted wounds. I thought to voice these out and clear my chest as I anticipate entry into the New Year, which will be markedly different for me. I wish Your Excellency a safe trip and compliments of the season to you and your beautiful family.”

According to insiders at the Foreign Ministry, Fahnbulleh’s response was triggered by an alleged phone call placed recently to Mr. Bill Teah Twehway, Managing Director of National Port Authority (NPA), by the Foreign Minister. It is said that the Minister didn’t know that Fahnbulleh was seated with Twehway when he was allegedly bad-mouthing him.

Twehway and Fahnbulleh served in the Legislature as legislative colleagues before they were replaced by their respective constituents.

Twehway had apparently asked Fahnbulleh for a replacement of his Diplomatic Passport, which had expired and wanted it renewed as a matter of urgency to facilitate a trip to Burkina Faso with the President.

“I had placed everyone concerned on notice. Thanks for authorizing the Passport Director to issue his passport, as he was never going to miss tomorrow’s trip because he spoke with the Principal Deputy, who equally can authorize issuance when formally requested by any government functionaries. That’s also why I was called and placed on the same line with you during Pepci Yeke’s emergency passport request,” Fahnbulleh reminded the Minister in his text message.

Every effort made to contact the Foreign Minister for comment proved futile and no one at the Ministry was willing to speaking on the record.