Minister Piah Consults Predecessor
Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah has invoked a new course of action through consultation with former Ministers of the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) – his action, he said, is aimed at harnessing the experiences of the past MICAT heads as a way of strengthening government’s information mechanism. Minister Piah is of the opinion that the Ministry of Information under his watch has made significant progress in ensuring that it remains focused on the task to collate government’s information, citing, however, amid stark challenges the need to seek counsel and solutions from peers or those who have served before him, cannot be overemphasized. Giving an overview of the invitation extended to his predecessors at the close of a work session held at MICAT on Friday, January 24, 2025, Minister Piah noted that the meeting afforded all the opportunity to sit together and brainstorm on what it is that the current leadership can do better than what it is currently doing, as well as deriving different ideas and approaches to government’s communication strategies. The goal of the meeting, according to him, is to help the nation transcend the barrage of terrible rhetoric being spewed by some individuals with the intention of portraying the country as “hell on earth,” adding that so much is at stake right now and as such the country needs rebranding. In a brief interview with journalists following the work session, Minister Piah underscored the importance of reverting to those who have led a particular sector, adding “sometimes it is important to look back to see some of the actors in the sector that you are heading. And the most resourced individuals that we could think about while reflecting on who have worked in this sector are the former Ministers.” He said, “they sat right in this seat and ran the Ministry, they managed government communications, so they know exactly what it takes to run government communications.” Minister Piah indicated that he will not sit at the ministry and be complacent believing that everything is being done the right way, adding, “It is good to just get the perspectives of others, and we thought those who served here before, their perspectives could be even more important.” Commenting further on the input of the former MICAT officials during the work session, Minister Piah praised their contributions made during the discussion, terming their insights as valuable. “We are going to translate them into achievable plans to see how we progress forward. But one of the things that came up clearly is that when the country has a new development agenda then you must be focused on what to do in terms of communication. So, the Ministry will be working on an ARREST specific communication strategy,” Minister Piah stated.
He added: “We have the assurance of all these former Ministers that they are available as resource persons in helping us to craft such a plan that will assist in communicating what we intend to do with the ARREST agenda.” Meanwhile, former Information Minister Lewis G. Brown has commended Minister Piah for reaching out to his predecessors, terming the initiative as an excellent example that must be emulated by others. The former MICAT official who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, reminded Minister Piah that there will always be challenges, that “are not measured by the challenges we face, we are measured by our determination to overcome those challenges.” “Now is your time, we know that you will succeed, you have a very able team. We are proud of some of the inputs they made”, Minister Brown noted. According to him, communication is not all about what the government has done, but it also entails envisioning where the country is headed and how it will arrive there. “I want to thank you and your team, there is a lot of work ahead, Liberia is in a difficult place, but it is still a very hopeful place we don’t have to look behind too much because we have a good place we can head together,” Minister Brown intimated. LINA