The Eminent Chairman of the All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship (ALCOD), Mr. Emmanuel S. Wettee, has weighed in on the ongoing debate about diaspora Liberians now leaving their bases in the US, Europe and other places, flocking in Liberia, to seek for jobs from the incoming Administration of President-elect, former Vice-President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
President-elect Boakai is poised to ascend to the nation’s Presidency on January 22, 2024, after which he will definitely make some new appointments of Liberians in his Administration.
While this is yet to happen, some Liberians, especially those on the grounds in Liberia, have begun to alarm that only qualified Liberians presently residing in Liberia should be the ones appointed to governmental posts and not Liberians living in the diaspora. According to Eminent Wettee, among those local Liberians’ unfounded concerns is that diaspora Liberians, especially those with dual citizenships, will not be loyal to the government and people of Liberia. “This argument is made about diaspora Liberians only when the issue of government or private jobs in Liberia are discussed. Outside of jobs, local Liberians see all diaspora Liberians as Liberians irrespective of them having dual citizenships or not. This is the duplicity that has negatively impacted national development and growth. The remittances from diaspora Liberians are in fearless competition with direct foreign investments in Liberia. The knowledge, education, skills,...
A front-page article with the byline of veteran New York Times opinion writer Nicholas Kristof is the latest poisonous example of what I call the NGO “halo effect.” Headlined “The Silence That Mee...