THE two Malaysian diplomats, who were recalled recently, should not be blamed entirely for the recent fiasco relating to the failed coordination of administrative and logistic matters during Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month, Mohamed Khaled Nordin said. 

The Umno vice-president said that the foreign minister should bear the responsibility instead, adding that putting the blame squarely on the diplomats was unprofessional. 

“Putting the blame on our diplomats for everything (that has happened) is very unprofessional. The foreign minister should take responsibility for what has happened.

“He forgot that he is the one who heads Wisma Putra,” Khaled said in a Facebook post today. 

Yesterday, the Foreign Ministry said two of its senior diplomats were recalled because they had failed to coordinate administrative and logistic arrangements for Ismail’s visit to the UAE last month.

In a statement, it said the diplomats had failed to properly plan the arrival of the prime minister on March 29, which should have been based on ministry operating procedure for high-level visits abroad.

Khaled, who is former Johor menteri besar, said what Ismail endured in UAE was regrettable. 

“Wisma Putra failed to ensure that the prime minister was given the honour in accordance with his position.

“UAE itself is a very welcoming country and of course, if we used all the resources and strength of our friendship network with them, such an incident would not happen,” he said.

Khaled called the ministry’s failure to properly plan and manage such an important visit “embarrassing”.  – April 12, 2022.