‘Minister not needed to recall ambassadors’

It is a worldwide practice for the government of the day to appoint people of their choice to head overseas missions.

Any decision on recalling Malaysian diplomats overseas is an administrative affair at Wisma Putra, says a former ambassador. (kln.gov.my pic)

PETALING JAYA: A former senior diplomat says Putrajaya can dictate the tenure of Malaysian ambassadors and heads of missions overseas, adding that any changes would only require an administrative procedure.

“It is absolutely normal for political appointees to expect a recall with a change in governments after a democratic elections,” he told FMT, in the wake of a report by an English daily that two ambassadors who were told to return home were insisting that they would only take such an instruction from the foreign minister and not senior staff at Wisma Putra.

In response, the diplomat said it was a practice worldwide for a government to replace the country’s ambassador with an individual of their choice.

“For example, it happens in the United States all the time. Really, this should not be an issue at all,” the diplomat, who served for decades as the head of Malaysian diplomatic missions in various countries, told FMT.

The post of foreign minister had been left vacant for almost two months, following the change of government after the May 9 polls.

On Monday, Saifuddin Abdullah was announced as the foreign minister, taking over from Anifah Aman.

Last week, it was reported that several Malaysian ambassadors who were political appointees were given notice to vacate their posts.

They include the ambassador to Indonesia Zahrain Mohamed Hashim and ambassador to the Vatican, Bernard Dompok. Zahrain, formerly of PKR, quit the party to become a BN-friendly MP in 2010, while Dompok was the plantation industries and commodities minister.

Speaking to FMT, the veteran diplomat said the matter of recalling diplomats or ambassadors was an administrative procedure that can be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ secretary-general or his deputy.

“Normally the instruction would come from the KSU or TKSU of administration, not from the minister,” he said, referring to the Malay abbreviation of the secretary-general.

He said ambassadors continue their duty at the behest of both their governments and the host countries.

“For the host government, it can be done by declaring the head of mission a persona non grata, or request the sending government to pull him out.” -FMT