Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Liberia Moves Closer to Allowing Dual Citizen


July 24, 2007

Earlier today Honorable Armah Sarnor, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Honorable Vaforay Kamara, Chairman of the House Human and Civil Rights Committee, matched vision with kindness and introduced an Act in the House of Representatives to protect all Liberians from the involuntary loss of their Liberian citizenship when they become naturalized citizens of another country or serve in the armed forces of another country without the prior approval of the President of Liberia. Non-Resident Liberians are pleased the Liberian government has taken an important step in addressing an issue that is of great importance to Liberia.

We place great weight on the importance of Liberian citizenship and on the importance of promoting the Liberian people and culture. Due to the realities facing Liberia and the changing nature and scope of world affairs, Liberia’s citizenship law must be relevant to the realities of modern life. The citizenship act presently before the House of Representatives will help to create a more robust Liberian society and allow Liberia to better compete with the growing number of countries that are benefiting from dual citizenship.

When passed by the House of Representatives and Senate and signed into law by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Act will ensure that all Liberians can take advantage of opportunities abroad and return with their valuable knowledge and expertise to contribute a lot more to Liberia’s development.

The growing call for change is simply too loud to ignore. The dual citizenship petition drive has galvanized and motivated Liberians in a way never before seen. And we are pleased that Honorable Armah Sarnor and Honorable Vaforay Kamara have given legislative voice to Liberians worldwide and are leading the charge to pass the Act to allow dual citizenship. We trust that other members of the Honorable 52nd National Legislature will match vision with kindness and join Honorable Sarnor and Honorable Kamara in passing this important Act.

Signed:
Alvin Teage Jalloh, Esq.
Counsel for Non-Resident Liberians

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