Are the hands of prime minister Anwar Ibrahim tied?

Many Malaysians will agree that the appointment of Nazri Abdul Aziz as the Malaysian ambassador to the United States of America is a diplomatic blunder.

Can Anwar and his cabinet not see that? More importantly, why won’t Anwar withdraw Nazri’s appointment? He is the PM and he has the power to rescind the appointment if he so wishes.

Nazri’s parliamentary track record is not exactly exemplary.

In 2005, he racially taunted non-Malay MP M Kulasegaran in parliament. In 2011, he claimed that giving freebies at a general election was not a bribe. He dismissed the importance of Bersih and denigrated their efforts to fight for cleaner elections.

As the former de facto law minister, Nazri wrote to GLCs instructing them to halt all legal proceedings against Tajuddin Ramli, the crony who crippled Malaysia Airlines with a massive debt.

In 2014, in his capacity as the minister of tourism, he urged taxi drivers to become mini-ambassadors and act as spies for the government in its effort to fight corruption.

Why is Anwar risking the wrath of the Malaysian public who voted Harapan in the election?

Is no one else better suited to be the ambassador? Are we short of talent?

Has Anwar made more concessions with Umno-Baru, so that he can keep his unity government intact? Is the threat and fear of the “green wave” so overwhelming that few Malaysians are prepared to admonish the PM?

To many Malaysians, it appears as if many Umno-Baru MPs who lost their seats in GE15 or are allegedly corrupt have been given lucrative positions in the cabinet or are made ambassadors.

We should not ignore the many senior career diplomats who are well versed in foreign relations and who have probably majored in international relations, foreign policy, cultural anthropology, or sociology, and political science. Why have they not been considered for selection? They deserve to be promoted. Did no one care to advise Anwar?

Moreover, what happened to Anwar’s earlier promise not to promote politicians and give them plum posts?

Nazri’s appointment looks like Anwar is rewarding him and Umno-Baru for their support.

Nazri’s appointment looks like Anwar is rewarding him and Umno for their support.

The Swiss government already rejected Nazri as the Malaysian ambassador to Switzerland. They were probably aware that during the convicted felon Najib Abdul Razak’s tenure as PM, Nazri had failed to censure Najib for his role in the 1MDB saga.

Nazri had also criticized former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad for accusing Najib of tarnishing Malaysia’s reputation in the 1MDB scandal.

Anyone contemplating a career in the foreign service, or as a diplomat, needs to be of high integrity and have good judgment.

His communication skills should be of a high standard and he must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

He should master at least one foreign language and in his career, may have to learn several other languages.

He should also possess strong analytical, leadership and organizational skills.

Nazri does not possess any of the above qualities. He is also an arrogant bully with a huge ego.

In 2013, he used his ministerial status and the taxpayers’ money to abuse his position by promoting his son with a role in the ministry.

He courted more trouble when his wife was discovered distributing calling cards which had been printed with “spouse minister” on them.

Nedim’s role as “special officer” to the ministry angered the rakyat. The appointment was far from transparent.

Nazri’s son had been spared the usual interview hurdles at a time when thousands of unemployed youths were competing for a handful of jobs.

Malaysians were furious that Nedim had breezed into the ministry of tourism and been placed on the ministerial staff list.

When the rakyat cried nepotism over Nedim’s appointment, Nazri described his detractors as “stupid people” and told them off for daring to write and complain about him.

In his usual arrogant style, he said his son’s role in the tourism ministry “could not be questioned,” and that this was “his ministry,” and “he could put anybody’s name there.”

Malaysian politicians from both sides of the political divide appear to treat the government like a family firm.

Nazri had the gall to tell the rakyat that he did not care what they thought of him because he was the minister and “Nedim is my son and I am happy that I made him ‘Special officer’.”

Most Malaysians were disgusted when Nazri insulted billionaire Robert Kuok by calling him a pondan. He demanded that Kuok return to Malaysia to run for election, failing which his citizenship should be revoked.

Last year, he wanted flooded parts of the country to be used to encourage tourism.

Nazri’s ill-mannered behavior, his crudity, arrogance and lack of foresight are embarrassing and extremely damaging.

He may risk the cordial relations we have with the Americans at a time when geopolitics, the unstable world economy, wars and conflicts in certain areas, and potential threats in South China Sea mean that we need someone with good judgment, a clear head and true diplomatic skills.

Nazri is the wrong candidate for Washington. Has Anwar’s administration blundered again?

Sources:

1. The Malaysian Insight: MCA hits out at Nazri for calling Kuok ‘pondan‘
2. The Malaysian Reserve: Nazri appointed Ambassador-designate to US

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)