Mask ada cop sirim putus tali betoi2 memalukan...
Walaun2 PAS tak marahkah artis ni samakan
Lebai Hadi dan rakan2nya monyet dan babun?...
Ismail Sabri’s Dubai debacle...
Ismail Sabri’s visit to the UAE (29-31 March) was, by all counts, a disastrous affair. No UAE official was on hand to greet him; he had to endure the hassle of clearing customs and immigration as a mere mortal, was not provided security or given outriders. It was certainly not what he was expecting.
In the aftermath of the fiasco, Wisma Putra pinned the blame on our ambassador to the UAE and our consul-general in Dubai, both relatively senior officers. They were recalled in disgrace and sent to the pool – a euphemism for the outhouse reserved for errant civil servants.
Wisma Putra also took the unprecedented step of putting out a long statement (apparently on the instructions of the foreign minister) accusing the two officers of dereliction of duty. The ministry said that they had failed to forward an official invitation from the UAE government to the prime minister to attend the World Government Summit held in conjunction with the closing of Expo Dubai. As well, they had failed to inform the UAE government of the prime minister’s arrival and neglected to ensure that proper protocol and security arrangements were made.
A junior member of the UAE embassy in Kuala Lumpur also let it be known that it was all the fault of the Malaysian embassy in the Emirates. “Due to the absence of any information given to our side, there was no official welcome or police outriders. It was a huge embarrassment, more so for the host country than the visitors,” he was quoted as saying. But all these statements leave many questions unanswered.
In the first place, it is highly implausible that an experienced and well-regarded diplomat like Ambassador Tarid Sufian would be negligent in forwarding an official invitation from the UAE government. Besides, had an invitation been issued, wouldn’t the UAE government make further enquiries through its mission in Kuala Lumpur when it did not receive a response?
Then there’s the other equally implausible claim that the UAE authorities were unaware of Ismail Sabri’s travel plans. To travel on a private jet these days requires overflight and security clearance, landing permits, etc. from the government concerned. It is impossible, therefore, for the UAE authorities not to have known about the prime minister’s arrival. Whether the visit was official or otherwise, diplomatic courtesies were due the prime minister. Why was it withheld? Did it have anything to do with UAE’s unhappiness over 1MDB-related issues?
From what can be ascertained, there was, in fact, no formal invitation to Ismail Sabri to attend the Summit. Indeed, according to reliable sources, the UAE government had informed the Malaysian embassy that due to the summit and the Expo Dubai closing ceremony, they were not in a position to welcome a visit by Ismail Sabri. Nevertheless, somebody in the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) took the decision to proceed with the visit with predictable consequences.
The prime minister’s programme in Dubai too appeared to have been hastily patched together. According to the foreign ministry statement, his agenda included a visit to Expo Dubai (as it was about to close), a meeting with the staff of the Malaysia Pavilion to express appreciation (unheard of), witness the signing of several MoUs (no details) and attend the closing of the World Government Summit (to which he was not invited to speak). It looked more like a junket than a substantive bilateral visit.
At the last minute, as a face-saving gesture, a brief meeting was arranged with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister and vice-president of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai, on the sidelines of the summit.
It is also quite incredible that neither the foreign minister nor senior officials in the PMO had bothered to check on the programme for the visit and seek to ascertain basic information about the agenda – all routine stuff when the prime minister travels abroad. Indeed, such a disaster could not have happened unless there was a system-wide failure at every level. Typically, the two diplomatic officers ended up as sacrificial lambs.
Whichever way you look at it, the debacle reflects poorly on Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. It is no secret that problems at the ministry have been piling up since he took over (for the second time). His leadership has been non-existent, his grasp of issues poor. His tenure at the ministry can best be described as the triumph of form over substance. Instead of engaging in the serious business of foreign policy and diplomacy, instead of inspiring his officers, he has been content with cheap publicity stunts (like his Bahasa Malaysia letter to the US Secretary of State). As with quite a few others in Ismail Sabri’s cabinet, the man is quite literally clueless. Ismail Sabri should have fired him instead of penalizing the ambassador and his colleague.
Whatever it is, the mood of anger and despair in the foreign ministry is now palpable. The leaked audio recording (since gone viral) by a disgruntled officer says it all: “We are living through the worst days in the history of Wisma Putra”. What a sad commentary about a once-proud and much-admired foreign service; what a telling indictment of the steady decline of a nation once on the cusp of greatness. – Dennis Ignatius
Not all seems well at Foreign Ministry
over vacancies, says ex-ambassador...
Vacancies left unfilled for top positions in Malaysian missions abroad have raised questions over domestic happenings in the Foreign Ministry, according to a former diplomat. When contacted, former ambassador Dennis Ignatius (below) said there is an established process when it comes time to fill a vacant ambassador or high commissioner’s position.
“The question of vacancies is actually a very routine thing. They are brought home, sent somewhere else, it’s standard practice,” he said. “It’s not rocket science to fill a vacancy.
“The way the system works is the minister will propose to the prime minister a list of ambassadorial appointments for approval. Most of the time it's routine unless the minister or PM has another candidate in mind,” Ignatius told Malaysiakini.
He said this when asked for comments on the contents of an audio clip that has gone viral on social media since yesterday, purported to be a conversation between an unidentified male Foreign Ministry officer and a “Datin” familiar with ministry matters.
Among others, the male voice lamented that Foreign Ministry staff are facing many problems under Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, including having to fill a “minimum 33 vacancies” due to deaths, retirement or other reasons in Malaysia’s missions abroad.
“The fact that so many positions are left vacant makes you wonder what is going on. “I know for a fact that the ministry is anxious to fill these posts, there are also many officers anxious for their promotions and to move on (to another country),” said Ignatius.
‘Morale has never been lower’
Further, Ignatius said the leaked audio appeared to suggest mounting anger within the Foreign Ministry towards Saifuddin, where in the past such matters would not have been openly discussed. “From my understanding, morale in the ministry has never been lower,” he added.
The male voice in the audio also made references to orders issued for the return of Malaysia’s two senior diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, confirming a Free Malaysia Today report quoting sources who said the duo will be placed in “cold storage”.
“We were surprised. It would be fine if they were just recalled, but to be ‘sacked’ and sent into the JPA (Public Service Department) pool [...],” he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry secretary-general had called for a meeting of all division secretaries to discuss the matter.
Free Malaysia Today yesterday quoted sources who said the duo - Malaysia’s ambassador Tarid Sufian and Malaysia’s consul-general in Dubai, Hasril Abdul Hamid - were recalled over the lack of “official guest status” for Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob during his visit to the Emirates last month.
The report said Tarid and Hasril were the only senior officers present at the airport to receive Ismail Sabri when he landed in Dubai. There were also reportedly no senior government officials from the UAE present to receive the delegation that also included Saifuddin.
Multiple lapses
The ministry in a statement described Free Malaysia Today’s report as “containing inaccurate information, speculations and baseless allegations”.
However, it went on to confirm orders issued for the return of the two diplomats over failure to coordinate administrative and logistical affairs related to Ismail Sabri’s visit, particularly during his arrival on March 29.
“These failures include the prime minister’s lengthy wait at the normal arrival hall for passport clearance. “Aside from that, (media) coverage and security details, as well as motorcades usually prepared for the prime minister as per standard procedure were also not provided,” said the Foreign Ministry, adding that the facilities come even without a formal guest status.
Further, the two officers were blamed for allegedly failing to inform the ministry of the World Government Summit (WGS) held within the Dubai Expo 2020 area, as such there were no preparations made for Ismail Sabri to deliver a speech.
The Foreign Ministry said UAE's Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Ebrahim Al-Hashimi, during a meeting with Saifuddin, had extended an invitation for Ismail Sabri to attend WGS' closing ceremony.
It added that the UAE government had also provided Ismail Sabri with facilities including static guards of honour at the airport prior to his departure, on top of issuing a formal invitation to deliver a keynote address at WGS 2023.
“The move to recall the two officers is not out of the ordinary and done through discussions with relevant parties including the Public Service Department. “It was done to protect Malaysia’s bilateral interests with the countries involved, aside from ensuring the competence of the public sector,” the ministry said.
Commenting on the reported orders, Hulu Langat MP Hasanuddin Yunus said Saifuddin should have advised Ismail Sabri to postpone his trip.
“This is a major weakness as it involves the country’s dignity and reputation,” Hasanuddin said in a statement. “A civil servant will not reach the highest position like an ambassador with no academic background and years of experience.
“Do not so easily lay the blame on civil servants who have done their level best. Political decisions are what has failed in our diplomatic affairs,” he said. - Alyaa Alhadjri.mk
cheers.
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