KUALA LUMPUR – The appointment of former Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz as Malaysia’s ambassador to the US is appropriate and will help foster closer bilateral ties, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The deputy prime minister said he trusts Nazri will be able to strengthen various collaborations involving Malaysia and the US.
“Previous ambassadors such as the late Tan Sri Jamaluddin Mohd Jarjis and Datuk Seri Awang Adek Hussin fostered not just bilateral ties, but business-to-business and peer-to-peer relations.
“For Umno, the important aspect is to strengthen government-to-government ties between the two countries,” Zahid was quoted as saying by Bernama.
He also expressed confidence Nazri would be able to arrange meetings with US top government and corporate leaders when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim visits the country later.
Zahid, who is also Umno president, said Nazri’s appointment was not proposed by Umno, but recommended by Anwar’s predecessor and party vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
In addition, Zahid said he hoped Nazri would work towards improving Malaysia’s travel ranking in the US.
Nazri joined politics in 1978 at just 24 years old, when he was elected as an Umno Youth executive committee member before going on to become Barisan Nasional Youth chief from 1990 to 1994.
He was also an Umno Supreme Council member for 28 years from 1990 to 2018, when the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government lost federal power to Pakatan Harapan.
He has held a number of ministerial positions, being in charge of entrepreneur development (1999 to 2004), legal affairs (2004 to 2013), and tourism and culture (2013 to 2018). – The Vibes, February 12, 2023
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