An Interview With Ambassador Charles Minor
By Clarence Moniba
Posted to this site: September 10, 2008

Charles Minor, Liberia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America. July 15, 2004 - September 15, 2008

When I met Ambassador Charles Minor for the interview, he was sitting in the study of the Ambassador's official residence located in North West Washington, D.C. Sitting with his wife, Comfort, dressed in an African house dress looking relatively relaxed, he was showing her the revised plan for a fence to be constructed around the Ambassador's residence, all in his effort to continue to secure his country's assets in the U.S.

After four and a half years as Liberia's Ambassador to the United States, I wanted to get his views of the "ups and downs" of his tenure. Surrounded by pictures of his three children and two grandchildren, the Ambassador began the discussion with brief reflections of his days in Liberia: at the Liberian Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC), a state- owned enterprise which was, 35 years ago, turning over US$66 million and at the National Housing and Savings Bank where he was a Vice President before leaving the country to study in the U.S. and to work for Arthur D. Little of Cambridge, USA.

In 1989, Minor with his wife and Ghanaian partners established their own consulting company in Ghana and he later served as a Director for the African Management Services Company, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Charles Minor's answer of "yes I will" to the then - Liberian Transitional Head of State, Gyude Bryant, when called to become the country's Ambassador to the US was as unexpected as the request to him. From owning a consulting firm in Ghana and Directing a Dutch company (which dealt with quality assurance and corporate governance in Africa) to one day getting a surprise call from Bryant, this position was never in his wildest expectations.

If one looks at the Embassy today, you would not know that just a few years ago, Ambassador Minor had to spend a few thousand dollars of his personal money to keep the Mission operational, nor would one realize that he had turned his house in Accra, Ghana into a makeshift shelter for Liberian refugees as the civil war raged on in Liberia.

The Ambassador, a development economist and manager - turned - diplomat, stressed that being a public servant is often times a thankless job and with only days left before he returns to his homeland, the outgoing Liberian Ambassador talks politics and policies of his beloved Liberia:

Q: What is your major regret after serving the post of Ambassador?

A: Regrets are very few. Amongst them are the following: inadequate quality support staff, limited or almost non existence financial resources particularly in the first two years of my tenure and limited and tardy communication between Monrovia and Washington.

Q: What legacy do you hope to have left here at the Embassy and in the States?

A: That a higher level of efficiency and greater effectiveness can be achieved in government. That serving one's country, although often thankless, is a responsibility of every citizen and it is not a popularity contest or a wealth achieving endeavor. In regards to the U.S., I like to leave a strong perception that our country, under good leadership as exemplified by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is being put back on the world map of respectable countries.

Q: Do you have any advice for your successor?

A: Yes, I do. The most important advice is to keep focused! The Ambassador here in Washington is accredited to the President, Government and People of the United States. Yes, while here the Ambassador is to take interest in and care of Liberians residing here and he or she should do all he or she can to make sure that our citizens remain law abiding. But, it is not to them, Liberians living in the United States, that he or she is accountable!

Q: What's next for you?

A: Comfort (Mrs. Minor) and I are anxious to take some time off to "chill." Four and a half years ago, we dropped everything to come to Washington to render our "little bit" to our country that had been ravaged by war, destruction and to our suffering people. There has been no real vacation over the period. We have worked seven days a week so we must now take some time off, try to pick up the pieces we left in the Netherlands, Ghana as well as at home. After that we are committed to again assist the President and her administration or return to the private sector and continue to contribute to the healing and development of our country and people in that domain.

Q: What do you think is the greatest challenge that Liberia faces?

A: A change of mind-set in the hearts of many of our people (as we are all God's); the willingness to look and move forward and not backwards, to love our country more and respect the rights of everyone. Secondly, I believe it is critical to generate more and more jobs, get our people employed and help empower them to take ownership of our country's assets. Facilitating the second obviously requires greater investment in education and training. Thirdly, our broken infrastructure is one of our most important challenges. It must be fixed.

Q: Lately, you have been publicizing the idea for Liberians to invest in Liberia, what do you mean by that?

A: One of my main priorities has been encouraging and promoting investments for Liberia. We have had some successes but there is much more to be done. I strongly believe the greatest push for investments should be made by Liberians themselves. Let me illustrate what I have been saying to several groups of Liberians here: Many thousands of Liberians in this country are gainfully employed, some with two jobs and many earning in excess of US$25,000 per annum. I am told that figure is very low, but for the sake of a simple example, if 1000 Liberians with an average annual income of $24,000 were to contribute to a Liberian Investment Fund 5% of their annual income; in the first year the fund will have generated US$1.2 million plus interest. If 2000 Liberians participated, the Fund will have $2.4 million in one year and about $5 million in two years, including interest generated. Consider the possibility of leveraging the US$5 million with other possible investment possibilities, even on a fifty / fifty percent basis? Such a Fund would be the greatest vote of confidence and most tangible support we can offer to Liberia's recovery and the enhancement of the private sector. I do hope that the idea is seriously considered.

Q: You had trouble with several people on your original staff when you first took over in 2004, what did you take from those experiences?

A: Several lessons were learned or were reconfirmed: 1. that the human factor is perhaps the most difficult in any organization. Vested stake and extended affiliations, particularly in a fractured society and government can not easily and quickly be removed or reduced without strong will, a certain level of support and a clear vision of what is to be achieved and of how it benefits the organization. 2. Do not believe that initial success means that the challenges will disappear. Those who fought your efforts will realign to fight again. You must be prepared to be consistent and remain determined over the longer term. 3. I also learned that if your actions are not personal and you remain consistent, regardless who the personalities are, you can keep your head up and move on!

Q: How was the learning curb of an economist turned diplomat and how important was your economic background in running the embassy?

A: Admittedly I know I made a few "diplomatic" boo-boos, especially during the first two years under the National Transitional Government (NTGL) under Chairman Bryant and Foreign Minister Yaya Nimley; perhaps fewer in the last two and the half years under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the two Foreign Ministers (Ambassador Wallace and Mrs. King Akerele). I am also sure there are people out there, in and out of Government that will never be considered Charles Minor's fans. But as I mentioned earlier, I did not accepted this job to become popular. I accepted it to serve my country and people to the best of my ability and I know I have done just that. My economic and management backgrounds have been extremely useful. What I lacked in "diplomacy" the other capacities complimented greatly.

Q: What would be the sales pitch when trying to encourage investment in Liberia?

A: Very good returns on investment, not just in investors' financial bottom line terms but also in contributions to development, to the payment of dividends for peace and to encourage efforts towards an emerging democracy. The triple bottom line results!

Q: I've heard the complaint before that the people in the Liberian Embassy don't work hard, what would you say to that?

A: I do not think that is a fair judgment. Our people can work hard, but compensation has been poor and, to some extent, there has been a lack of leadership prior to my taking over the Mission. In addition many of our people were also not properly trained to effectively man the positions they were appointed to. I believe that is primarily why you have heard that complaint.

Q: It has been reported in at least one media outlet that you have supported certain staff members of the Embassy in the practice of spying on Liberians in the United States. How do you feel about those accusations?

A: Obviously I was taken aback by those reports, especially as they came from sources that should have been more tactful. In the investigation of the whole incidence, it was revealed that it originated from people with their own agenda, and involved persons employed here in the Embassy, determined to scandalize colleagues, the Embassy and to embarrass the Government for the purpose of getting the Liberian Government to listen to their and their friends wishes and aspirations and for the U.S. authorities to grant them asylum to remain here. The evidence on all of that has been documented. In the Town Hall meeting in Maryland where the issues was discussed with the Liberian community, we learned that politicians in and outside the hall, were orchestrating when and who should say what. We knew that but as a public servant, we sometimes must bear those things as they "come with the territory". I expressed my feelings at that Town Hall meeting and continue to hold those views today. The truth is, the particular e-mail that was alleged to be the grounding of the scandal did not come to my computers neither did I send it out. Having said that, anyone who knows what the role of an embassy is would know that it is routine to report any issues that may have some relevance to the country the embassy represents. Embassies regularly report on political developments, economic and social matters, military and security matters, all matters. Most embassies, however, do not use the medium the press suggested in regards to that particular incident. But remember, that particular medium dwells upon "sensational" news, some of which are aimed at scandalizing others and presenting half truths.

Q: Serving as the Liberian Ambassador, obviously one of your major responsibilities is fostering a healthy bilateral relationship with the United States. How would you judge the current support of the United States for Liberia?

A: I am very pleased with the current level of cooperation and partnership existing between the United States and Liberia. I consider our relationship very good and I have been privileged to enjoy the friendship of President George W. Bush and I do certainly appreciate the strong interest he, his administration and Congress (both sides of the political divide) have manifested in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the government and people of Liberia. Not too many ambassadors, in four and a half years at post, have had the opportunity to witness the level of cooperation and support we have received from the United States. Our President has had several visits here including an Official visit when she addressed a Joint Session of Congress and President Bush has awarded her one of America's highest honors. And President Bush has visited our country and danced on the grounds of our Executive Mansion. Mrs. Laura Bush and Secretary of State Rice have visited Monrovia twice. Additionally Liberia now has access to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). We are benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). We have had US funding in hundreds of millions of dollars to help restructure of security sector. We are obtaining US support in meeting the challenges of fixing our infrastructure. We are benefiting from the President's special initiatives for HIV/AIDS and malaria as well as his education programs. To a great extend, the U.S. has been actively involved in addressing our huge debt burden. This U.S. has forgiven our bilateral debt and that act encouraged other nations to do the same. The U.S. is contributing to the removal of the multilateral debts due to the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank and the administration is helping in the strategy to address our commercial debts. Now take a look at what the U.S. private sector and civil society are doing. There have been several private sector initiatives aimed at investing millions of dollars in our country's productive sector including the rubber sector and the conversion of old rubber trees to renewable energy; the financial sector with the establishment of a $23 million enterprise development fund; several smaller amounts from African Development Foundation have been invested; An $8 million hotel is under construction and all of those initiatives and more have U.S. Government owned OPIC's backing. The United States Peace Corps is returning to buttress our education program and U.S. NGOs and various faith based organizations are also very actively engaged in the country's recover. Lastly work is in progress towards participation in the Millennium Development Account as well as we have made our case of Africa Command.

Q: Your final message to Liberians living in the Diaspora?

A: Liberians in the Diaspora have a big responsibility as well as a unique opportunity at this juncture in our history to enable our country and people to leapfrog from a difficult and problematic past into a dynamic and progressive future of hope and better governance. You see, Liberians in the Diaspora, particularly those in the United States, have greatly helped our people at home and our economy to keep afloat through their remittances. That is commendable but some of those remittances have not all been spent on wholesome and productive purposes. I understand some of those remittances have even been for destructive and divisive uses. The great majority of our people at home remain extremely poor, earning US$1 to US$2 a day. We have a large unemployed labor force, lacking adequate numeric, literary and technical skills. We lack a real Liberian middle class at home. Liberians in the Diaspora therefore constitute that middle class so it becomes our responsibility to do what is expected of the middle class - engage in private sector activities, provide employment opportunities, and generate wealth for further investment and economic growth.

ABOUT CLARENCE MONIBA:
Mr. Clarence Moniba is currently working on his doctorate degree in Rhetoric and Political Communications. He is the author of, Ethnic Exclusion in Government; A Case Study of Liberia as well as the unpublished fictional novel Born With Regrets. Moniba earned his Master's Degree from New Mexico State University in Government in 2006. He can be reached at cmoniba@hotmail.com