“I don’t want to add anything else to what the ministry has said before,” he told reporters after a press conference on the appointment of the youth committee for international relations and diplomacy of the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM).
On April 11, Wisma Putra had released an official statement confirming the two diplomats had been recalled.
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It said the Malaysian ambassador to the UAE, Tarid Sufian, and the consul-general in Dubai, Hasril Abdul Hamid, had failed to coordinate administrative and logistical matters for the prime minister, resulting in him having to wait a long time for passport and immigration clearance at the airport.
It added that the move to recall the two officials was a common practice in the ministry and “nothing out of the ordinary”.
Saifuddin had come under criticism following his decision to recall the diplomats, with several people voicing their dissatisfaction with the way the matter was handled and urging the minister to take full responsibility for it.
Former foreign minister Anifah Aman said the ministry’s hasty recall was a “major embarrassment” for the country and that an internal investigation should have been conducted first.
Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin had criticised Wisma Putra for failing to ensure that Ismail was given an “honourable” welcome, adding that it was “very unprofessional” to blame the diplomats.
Former foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said during his time, he used to go a few days earlier to the country the prime minister was visiting to ensure proper arrangements were in place.
Meanwhile, public service department (JPA) director-general Shafiq Abdullah said the two recalled diplomats would remain at Wisma Putra.
He said they had not been assigned to JPA’s pool system of civil servants, as claimed in some reports.
Subsequently, an audio recording went viral alluding that there was a growing number of vacancies at Malaysian missions abroad.
Confirming the matter, Saifuddin noted that there were 20 vacancies at the moment.
“The ministry is finalising the candidates and we are hoping the vacancies will be filled as soon as possible.”