February 20, 2012
The Summing Up: Time to Buck Up, Wisma Putra
by Din Merican
What started as a criticism of a unfilled square in The Star by Tan Sri Radzi Abdul Rahman, Secretary-General of Wisma Putra, unleashed an unprecedented number of comments. Dennis' article in The Star further added to a lively debate. In a routine an inept High Commissioner to a UK, Zakaria Sulong, was unprotected by a Bruno Manser Foundation for intemperate comments upon a Penans of Sarawak.
A total of 300 comments were received. Though a tiny comments missed a point or attempted to fire a messenger, most were constructive. Several late ambassadors as great as polite servants as good contributed by approach of utilitarian suggestions.
My blogging friends as great as associates as great as you had hoped to see a strong reply from Wisma Putra. But what you got was a shoddy, shoal as great as careless cut-and-paste square by Ahmad Rozian, Undersecretary for Information as great as Public Diplomacy, replete with factual errors.
That he couldn't get a contribution right about Ambassador Hamidon's reign as Chair of UN Fifth cabinet is simply inexcusable particularly since Hamidon is still serving in Wisma Putra as Chairman of a Chemical Weapons Convention, probably a couple of doors away from Ahmad Rozian. To supplement to a embarrassment, Hamidon had to write a letter to The Star to have a correction.
Such sum lapses criticise a faith of a open in a veracity a! s great as credit of Wisma Putra's information, not to mention open diplomacy. It erodes confidence in a diplomats as great as a tactful service. If a Undersecretary for Information as great as Public Diplomacy cannot even get such elementary things right how then have been you to hold in anything which Wisma Putra says? If Radzi as great as a Foreign Minister think which such lapses as great as Zakaria Sulong's guff have been tiny as great as should be excused, they have been wrong. It shows incompetence as great as reflects poorly upon their leadership.
Wisma Putra in Crisis
Mind you, Embassies here in Kuala Lumpur, together with those from ASEAN countries, as great as chancelleries abroad as great as governments, as great as general organisations together with NGOs review this blog as great as know which Wisma Putra is a dark shadow of what it was in a past. Today, it is punching great below a weight.
Clearly Wisma Putra is in crisis. Its care needs to approach things as in predicament management. Crises have been opportunity. It needs an cordial care to commend a faults as great as weaknesses of an organization. A predicament personality needs to be an innovator. A critical partial of origination is honesty to receiving as great as perplexing out ideas.
In a early days when you was still working under Tan Sri (later Tun) Muhammad Ghazali Shafie, 
I know which Wisma Putra was open to outward ideas. Working upon an old-fashioned playbook is certainly not a approach forward. Wisma Putra needs to be confidant to try brand new ideas. Here is where Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, Radzi (and his immediate predecessor, Rastam Isa) as great as Rozian have failed, as great as failed miserably.
Rozian's response
Rozian's reply is full of empty phrases which miss credibility. It reinforces a views expressed by observers here as great as abroad who say which Malaysia today has no unfamiliar policy, it usually has attitude. And a media as great as a academia tend to be culpable. Wisma Putra's reply or rebuttal shows singular bargain of a realities of informal as great as universe sequence as pointed out by a former superb Ambassador who analysed Rozian's reply as great as lifted most questions. The politicians in Putrajaya dictate process as great as right now, Malaysia is being viewed as leaning heavily towards Obama's vision of a tellurian order.
For example, Rozian claims "There has indeed been regular unfamiliar process reviews to respond to made at home realities as great as a changing outmost environment. The importance right away is some-more upon concrete family as great as less upon a rhetoric. With a dynamic as great as ever-changing realities of a interdependent as great as borderless world, there is no denying which Malaysia's unfamiliar process continues to be resilient in adjusting as great as adapting to a country's made at home policies as great as outmost environment." What is a meaning of this? If you were to give an e.g. of controversial statement, this a single is a classic!
Broad Observations
Bilateral Relations
Let's look in to how Malaysia's unfamiliar affairs have been conducted. Our bilateral family appear to be conducted through in isolation as great as back doorway channels. Successive Prime Ministers have built up Wisma Putra, though a current care has meagre make make use of of for veteran advice, relying upon Khazanah Nasional to understanding with Singapore as great as Dato Seri Jamaluddin J! arjis (< em>left with Obama)to handle a United States.
Our deals with Singapore in apply oneself of KTMB land as great as H2O issue have been lopsided as great as a correct all-party discuss in Parliament is urgently needed.
Furthermore why have you not resolved a standing of South Ledge as ruled by a ICJ in The Hague a tiny three years ago? Why did Wisma Putra not forestall a trade of 434 acres of KTM land in Singapore for really tiny in return? Why has Wisma Putra not pursued a dispersion of a Causeway as great as replace it with a true (not crooked) bridge?
Why is Wisma Putra you do zero to correct a cost of H2O being sole to Singapore at 3 cents per 1000 gallons for an additional 50 years until 2061? These couple of questions associate usually to a single of a neighbours. Many some-more questions can be asked about family with a alternative neighbours.
Bilateral family with alternative ASEAN partners as good haven't been great. Why hasn't a Philippines President visited Malaysia yet? Is it a outcome of a insensitive remarks by a wife of a Ambassador in Manila? Apparently, she had insulted Dr. Jose Rizal, a national hero of a Filipino people. And what did Wisma Putra do? It confirmed "elegant silence" upon this matter.
We have been pleased to note which a attribute with a United States is a vast alleviation from a lows reached during a Dr Mahathir administration. However in what approach is Malaysia benefiting from this softened relationship? Why did you determine to send soldiers to Afghanistan when others were pulling out? Is it a box of perplexing to have justification to a US for a "bad" behaviour in a past?
While you have been low without a devise in a head, a neighbours similar to Singapore have been playing a sophisticated game. Singapore as great as a US not long ago sealed a Joint Vision Statement upon New Political Framework. The matter says "This team-work will be in await of informal institutions together with a East Middle East Summit, Association of ! Southeas t Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as great as alternative informal organizations as great as initiatives".What have been you doing?
On ASEAN
We have repeated ad infinitum which ASEAN is a cornerstone of a unfamiliar policy. But going by Rozian's reply it is evident which Wisma lacks bargain of ASEAN. He says a "true" ASEAN Community would arise in 2015. In a box of ASEAN, is there a "false" ASEAN Community? It's no great saying which a ASEAN Community will turn a reality in 2015. What is it for a ordinary men as great as women?Can Wisma Putra begin by articulating a vision of a ASEAN Community?
If you revisit a East West Centre website you will review about "ASEAN Matters for America. http://aseanmattersforamerica.org/about-the-project .This is partial of a broader plan called Middle East Matters for America. The aim of this plan is to ensure which Middle East stays an important unfamiliar process objective for America. It is a comprehensive as great as multi-activity bid to denote as great as track ASEAN's importance to a United States, as great as a United States' importance to ASEAN. Guess who is collaborating with a East West Center upon this plan a Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) of Singapore. So whilst you simply talk Singapore is positioning itself as a categorical egghead personality of ASEAN.
Wisma's institutions
We appear to twiddling a fingers whilst a neighbours have been moving ahead. Have you hosted any important initiatives with pass institutions elsewhere? Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) is a power residence when it comes to investigate as great as publication. What has a Institute of Diplomacy as great as Foreign Policy (IDFR) finished for example? We have a Southeast Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism (SEA! RCCT)? W hat has it done? New ideas brought forward, such as a origination of Council upon Foreign Relations to yield a second perspective upon matters of unfamiliar policy, were simply shunted in reserve by Wisma Putra. Why?
Language as great as Thinking Skills
Our diplomats have demonstrated time as great as again, their incapacity to hold a conversation in a English language. Zakaria Sulong is a single unfortunate evidence. He could have softened delivered his summary had he been some-more friendly with in a language. Yet Wisma has motionless which internal communications have been to be in Bahasa Malaysia. We as good have been patriots as great as you as good instruct to see Bahasa Malaysia strengthened. Wisma Putra is being restored by deleterious a own ability to carry out commercial operation in English. When a predicament strikes that's when you will realize which a diplomats have been no longer means to rise to a challenge.
Diplomats similar to academics have to constantly make use of their analytical as great as writing skills. Diplomats contingency be encouraged, if not forced to write. They should write articles as great as ideas in journals or even a press. Some readers upon this blog challenged a diplomats to write in heading journals as great as magazines such as a Foreign Affairs as great as Foreign policy. e should additionally encourage late ambassadors to additionally do a same.
Wisma Putra's Public Face
The consular make use of as great as a website have been between others constitutes Wisma Putra's open face. Both have been ugly. While a tiny improvements have been noted there have been far as good most grouses about bad make use of by a diplomats overseas.
The ministry's website can be softened vastly. The material upon it is pathetic. It is unclear as great as not helpful.The supposed Strategic Review is not easy to find upon a website. Further a single suspects which it wouldn't be of any ! make mak e use of of possibly since academics such as Dr Johan Saravanamutu who wrote about Malaysia's Foreign Policy in a last 50 years found a inform to be anything though vital .
Diplomacy is not for Amateurs
I would similar to to quote Ernst Sucharipa, whose paper, 21st Century Diplomacy,appeared upon this blog upon Feb thirteen as follows:
Quote: The globalization of general relations, a internationalization of national process areas as great as a growing awareness, which tellurian problems require tellurian solutions signify brand new important functions for diplomacy. Diplomats have become"managers of globalization"; they have been tasked to conduct the"global village" in which we live.
The complicated shrewd person contingency in a initial example be a coordination expert. He or she contingency be means to meet a final acted by globalization as great as be means to draw a right conclusions as great as process recommendations from general developments, which have been some-more mostly than not interwoven as great as mutually supportive. The shrewd person contingency be able, additionally in tiny teams, to motivate as great as uncover leadership. She or he must be a open family consultant as great as contingency have a sound believe in unfamiliar process issues in general as great as in tellurian issues. The shrewd person contingency additionally be great versed in languages. This"generalist" will additionally need a sound credentials in economics as great as should be a seasoned adjudicator in speculation as great as practice. In short, our"generalist" is a"specialist" in a art of diplomacy.
However, in sold in a box of not as ! big unfa miliar services this will not suffice: If you instruct to commend a dire reality of wanting resources of accessible crew as great as funding, you contingency have a tact specialist, additionally trained to be a true dilettante in a single sold domain: e.g. multilateral diplomacy, general law, economic integration, environmental issues or development cooperation. And he or she would expect over a march of a career to be able, some-more than once, to have a posting where this special believe can additionally be put to use.
The 21st century promises to be swarming as great as contentious. It will need a Foreign Service, which is a card file of a story of civilization; it will need wise as great as means negotiators as great as conciliators. It will need a shrewd person upon a spot, in danger or in calm, who can say what will or what will not work, who can predict problems as great as solve them. Ideally, he is a man who is "in carry out of a occasion" as Demosthenes described a Athenian diplomat, "the man upon whose wisdom, steadiness, goodwill, integrity as great as faithful comment process contingency rely."Service, which is a card file of a story of civilization; it will need wise as great as means negotiators as great as conciliators. It will need a shrewd person upon a spot, in danger or in calm, who can say what will or what will not work, who can predict problems as great as solve them. Ideally, he is a man who is "in carry out of a occasion" as Demosthenes described a Athenian diplomat, "the man upon whose wisdom, steadiness, goodwill, integrity as great as faithful comment process contingency rely."
We need to revamp Wisma Putra so which it can turn a pushing force for softened family with a rest of a world. This is a matter of top priority, a single which cannot be taken lightly. The consensus from my readers is which a tact is ineffective because you miss diplomats who can paint a nation upon a universe stage as great as command a apply ! oneself of a rest of a general village for a coherence as great as clarity of role in raised a national interest. Listen to a summary with humility. The summary is a elementary one: Wisma Putra, it is time to buck up or you, as Dennis said, will be adrift.
* you instruct to express my interjection to commenters, friends as great as former diplomats who frankly common their views as great as expressed their opinions with no malice. We have no axes to grind. We all instruct a nation to be reputable for a bent as great as creativity. After all, you have been really gifted people. As usual, you sojourn only responsible for a contents of a article.
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