KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s new ambassador to the United States will be a career diplomat and not a politician as was the case with previous appointments.
Wisma Putra is expected to have Putrajaya’s representative in Washington DC next month after the nominee gets the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s consent, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The new appointee will replace Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz whose two-year term ended early this month.
“The nominee would be someone with considerable experience in diplomacy as well as in multilateral talks and negotiations,” he told the Concorde Club media roundtable today.
Mohamad said the US has been informed of the candidate and the State Department has no issues with the individual.
The ambassador’s post in Washington DC will be vacant for about a month following the end of Nazri’s term earlier this month.
Nazri was a political appointee, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had promised that he would not appoint a politician to the post.
It has been speculated that the candidate could be a retired diplomat who was no longer in the service.
Nazri was one in a series of politicians appointed as ambassadors in recent times, included the late Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis, and Datuk Seri Awang Adek Hussin and Tan Sri Zulhasnam Rafique, all from Umno.
Malaysia’s first ambassador to the US was Tun Dr Ismail, and other politicians have included the late Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin, the late Tan Sri Mohamed Khir Johari and MCA veteran, the late Datuk Lew Sip Hon. – February 24, 2025