Dear Editor,
I refer to the article
“’Grounded’ Anifah should quit, says Pakatan” by Hafiz Yatim which appeared in
Malaysiakini on 15 August 2012. I am
outraged at the unfounded statements and accusations that were made in the
article and I feel compelled to clarify these claims. It is clear that these accusations are
politically motivated with malicious intentions as a personal attack on the
ability of Dato' Sri Anifah Hj Aman to perform his duties as Foreign Minister.
The article also casts
aspersions on the competence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide
sound strategic advice to the Government on the conduct of our foreign policy
including on important issues like Syria and the Rohingya Muslims.
The Foreign Minister has
been constantly defending and articulating Malaysia’s interests and position on
various foreign policy issues as well as proposing ways and means to resolve
myriad of issues with his counterparts.
So much could be said about
certain opposition leaders who continuously discredit the good name of our
beloved country abroad, which the Minister eventually has to work hard to
restore.
These are done through the
time-honoured practice of diplomacy.
Diplomacy is not carried out through the media or through megaphone
diplomacy. In the conduct of diplomacy,
there is an established decorum on how issues should be resolved taking into
account sensitivities of nation states in safeguarding their sovereignty,
independence and territorial integrity.
There are overt and quiet
actions in the conduct of diplomacy.
Both ways are used and the Minister is not obliged to divulge every
detail to the opposition on how the Ministry conducts its work.
Nonetheless the public
including opposition members are kept informed of activities relating to
foreign relations through press releases and statements. The opposition could
also raise questions in Parliament, in both Houses as they always do, and the
Minister and Deputy Ministers never failed to respond and explain.
Like all elected
representatives, Dato' Sri Anifah too has obligations to his constituency,
which is in Sabah. But this does not
distract him from discharging his responsibilities as Foreign Minister. Meetings with foreign dignitaries and
ambassadors in Sabah were held at their request. One such example is the recent visit of H.E
Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister of China.
In fact, this was an
important meeting as Malaysia attaches great importance to its relations with
China. This meeting was held at the same time the OIC Extraordinary Summit was
held in Mecca, which accounts for the Minister not being able to attend the
Summit. The insinuation of his absence at the Summit reflects a sheer lack of
understanding that Summits are attended by Heads of State or Government.
While this may be the
practice, there are instances where participation at international meetings may
not be at the prescribed level due to many considerations which have been
carefully deliberated upon by the government.
As Foreign Minister it goes without saying that he is required to
undertake numerous visits overseas that would take him away from the capital
let alone his constituency.
If one had cared to follow
the developments on Syria which have been flashed out in mainstream media,
Malaysia’s position on Syria is evident. We have continuously articulated our
position on Syria, either bilaterally or through multilateral processes such as
the United Nations, Human Rights Council and most recently, the OIC
Summit.
We are concerned with the
developments in Syria. We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. We support a comprehensive peaceful political
solution in that country. We also maintain our position of not accepting
unsanctioned interference or intervention by any external party.
Long before the opposition
realised they could politicise the issue of Rohingya Muslims in their political
campaign, the Minister had been in contact with his counterpart in Myanmar soon
after the flare up of the incident in Rakhine to categorically express
Malaysia's concerns and the need for Myanmar to address the plight of the
Rohingya Muslims.
He also offered humanitarian
assistance to Myanmar. We are glad to note that the Myanmar government has
extended an invitation to the OIC Secretary General to verify the facts and
assess what steps OIC can take to assist the Rohingya Muslims.
The Spratly Islands in the
South China Sea is a territorial dispute of overlapping claims by several ASEAN
countries and China. It is a sensitive and delicate issue that needs to be
handled judiciously.
Malaysia has always asserted
that the terms of such disputes should be addressed through dialogue amongst
the countries concerned. Most recently, the Minister engaged his counterparts
from the Philippines and China on this matter.
Foreign affairs issues are
the bread and butter of the Ministry and the team in Wisma Putra has shown
their dedication in carrying out their duties to serve the nation. The Minister takes exception to the
suggestion that the Ministry merely handles evacuation of Malaysian students
from troubled areas overseas. Consular
duties and providing assistance to Malaysians in distress overseas are
important but they are only one of the many other functions of the Ministry.
It can only be concluded
that the unwarranted attacks on the Foreign Minister and the allegations
against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflect the shallow-mindedness of those
who made these allegations with their simplistic understanding on the conduct
of our foreign policy. I would suggest that future comments and observations on
the conduct of Malaysia’s foreign policy are done based on facts and not conjectures.
Best Regards,
DATO’ NORHAIDI CHE DAN
Political Secretary to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Malaysia
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