Malaysia names politician as its new envoy to RI
(Jakarta Post) – “Posting in Jakarta for a Malaysian diplomat is like parachuting him or her into big storm”
In an odd turn of events, Malaysia named a seasoned politician as its new ambassador to Indonesia, a posting much to the chagrin of career diplomats.
Former Pakatan Rakyat (PKR) politician Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, who won a parliamentary seat in Bayan Baru in 2008 but later quit the party to become an independent MP, was named Malaysia’s top envoy to its giant neighboring country.
“We have decided to appoint him and are now in the process of informing the Indonesian government,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman told Star Online and other media at the Foreign Ministry’s Hari Raya (Idul Fitri) open house in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Generally, Indonesia has appointed former national police chiefs or military generals — the present Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Herman Priyatno is a former Indonesian Air Force chief — rather than career diplomats as its envoys to Malaysia.
Given the large Indonesian population in Malaysia, the posting comes with many issues such as drug smuggling, border disputes, illegal logging and non-documented immigrants.
Zahrain used to be a close aide of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Malaysian government has frowned upon Anwar’s regular visits to Indonesia, the second biggest democracy in Asia.
Many diplomats and analysts see this appointment as a political move: but it is a double edged sword. On the one side Najib wants to reward Zahrain for his defection from the opposition to the ruling UMNO party and for his help to achieve the 2013 election victory. But by appointing Zahrain, Najib is sending a signal to Anwar’s Indonesian friends that a close aide like Zahrain abandoned Anwar.
All these years, Malaysia’s career diplomats struggled to manage relations between the two countries. Activists, politicians and the media in both countries frequently exchange barbs on several issues. Also the Malaysian ambassador must face angry protests in Jakarta frequently.
“Posting in Jakarta for a Malaysian diplomat is like parachuting him or her into big storm,” one top Malaysian diplomat told The Jakarta Post after end of his tenure.
More than 2.5 million Indonesians live and work in Malaysia, while Malaysia is one of the biggest investors in Indonesia.
Bilateral trade between the two countries in 2012 surged to US$23.52 billion, a slight increase from $21.40 billion in 2011. In the first six months of this year, two-way trade reached $11.65 billion.
