Nazri Aziz tells Wan Ahmad Fayhsal to only comment on matters he has knowledge about

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Malaysia's ambassador to the United States Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz chided Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal for his lack of knowledge regarding the démarche notice from the United States on the Palestine-Israel conflict.

News portal Astro Awani reported last night that Mohamed Nazri recommended that the Machang MP stick to commenting on matters that he is familiar with.

The former Cabinet minister said that Wan Ahmad Fayhsal lacked the understanding that the content expressed in the démarche would determine if it was a threat.

He explained that it would not be deemed as a threat if the content of the démarche is expressed in a broad general manner.

“However, I understand the content of the démarche better as it was I who communicated with the United States (US) State Department.

“I want to inform Wan Ahmad Fayhsal that what the prime minister said in Dewan Rakyat was true.

“So, if he doesn't know (on the content of the démarche), it's better for him to not comment,” Mohamed Nazri was quoted as saying.

He was responding to Wan Ahmad Fayhsal questioning why Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had regarded a démarche delivered by the United States embassy here as a threat towards its administration during a press conference at the Parliament building yesterday.

In the Astro Awani report, Mohamed Nazri also verified that the US State Department had indeed expressed their displeasure with Anwar’s statements that criticised Israel and labelled the Zionist regime as terrorist.

Mohamed Nazri said the US State Department had even requested for Malaysia to issue a statement to sympathise with Israel, which he said was impossible in reply.

“I told the US State Department representative that Malaysia will not bow to any pressure simply because it supports the Palestinian cause.

“I want to let Wan Ahmad Fayhsal know that all this happened in the United States, and not in Machang,” he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Nazri also debunked Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s claim that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took a sterner stance on the Palestinian cause compared to Anwar.

The former Padang Rengas MP said that he joined the Cabinet during Dr Mahathir’s time and all prime ministers after him have always condemned Israel's actions against Palestine.

“Throughout that time, I can’t recall that Malaysia was issued a démarche by the United States,” he said, implying that this was the first time that the United States issued such a diplomatic notice to Malaysia.

Mohamed Nazri was also reported cautioning Wan Ahmad Fayhsal that Malaysia being issued the démarche was a serious matter.

“To me, it is not something that can be taken lightly, and definitely not something to chat about in a coffee shop in Machang.

“He should remember that there was a case of Mossad agents infiltrating our country and killing Hamas representatives here,” he said, adding that the issue should not be manipulated for political support.

Mohamed Nazri was referring to the assassination of Palestinian engineering lecturer Fadi al-Batsh, who is also a Hamas member, in Kuala Lumpur on April 2018. In the incident, two men believed to be Mossad operatives, were on a motorcycle and fired at least 14 shots at Fadi killing him on the spot.

Yesterday, Anwar during the Prime Minister’s Question Time, alleged that the US had exerted pressure on Malaysia, with its State Department calling up the country's ambassador in Washington over the matter.

His office also confirmed with the press that Putrajaya had received a démarche notice from the United States on the Palestine-Israel conflict on October 13, while the US Deputy Chief of Mission to Malaysia, Chargé d'Affaires Manu Bhalla, had called on a deputy secretary-general of Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

The US State Department defined a démarche as a “formal diplomatic representation of its official position, views, or wishes on a given subject” which seeks to “persuade, inform, or gather information from a foreign government”, or to “protest or object to actions by a foreign government”.

Last week, Islamist party PAS labelled claims made by Anwar that he had been threatened by certain European parliamentarians after speaking up for Palestinian rights in the Middle East as “strange” and “laughable”.

Its secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said Malaysia’s firm stance supporting the Palestinian cause and criticising Israel is well known and is not new as former prime ministers were also very vocal on this issue.