Putrajaya sends SOS to Hisham to help restore Saudi ties

(TMI) – PUTRAJAYA has turned to former special functions minister Hishammuddin Hussein to help revive fractured ties with Saudi Arabia, said sources.

Some decisions by the new government have affected its relationship with Riyadh, which was warmer under Najib Razak’s administration, sources told The Malaysian Insight.

One of these is the axing of the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP) proposed by King Salman Abdul Aziz Al-Saud during his visit to Malaysia last year.

The request for Hishammuddin’s involvement came about after leaders from the Middle East kingdom indicated they preferred to deal with leaders from Najib’s government as opposed to the current administration, sources close to the administration said.

“Apart from (former prime minister) Najib Razak, Hishammuddin also has good relations with the Saudi Arabian government.

“It’s not good for us (Malaysia) to appear hostile to Saudi Arabia because it will affect many things, including the haj quota,”  said a source with knowledge about Putrajaya’s request to Hishammuddin.

Hishammuddin, who is also former defence minister, is Najib’s cousin. The Sembrong MP was also an Umno vice-president, but did not contest the party elections this year.

The Malaysian Insight is seeking Hishammuddin’s comments, but he has not responded.

Malaysia’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has “not been very good” since the closure of KSCIP in August, said another source close to the government.

Hishammuddin’s successor in the Defence Ministry, Mohamad Sabu, said on August 6 the centre and its office at Menara HLA in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, would be closed with immediate effect.

The centre’s role to promote peace and curb extremism would be absorbed into another organisation under the ministry. It also meant the scrapping of plans to construct a new building for KSCIP in Putrajaya.

“Putrajaya has asked Hishammuddin to restore its relationship with King Salman. Ties need to be recovered immediately. Hishammuddin may appear secretive, but he moves about quietly,” the source added.

The decision to shut KSCIP, which opened in May last year, was criticised by former Barisan Nasional administration members, including Najib, who warned that Riyadh would be aggrieved.

Hishammuddin also said its closure would be detrimental to Malaysia, while others feared it would affect Saudi Aramco’s US$7 billion (RM31 billion) investment in an oil refinery plant in Pengerang, Johor.

Another decision that has frayed Riyadh-Putrajaya ties is Mohamad’s announcement of the cabinet’s decision to recall Malaysian troops from the Saudi-led coalition against militias in Yemen.

BN had said Malaysian troops, present in the Saudi-led campaign since 2015, were not involved in combat, but tasked with bringing home Malaysians from Yemen.

Riyadh’s displeasure was seen recently at an official function hosted by King Salman in the kingdom during Hari Raya Haji, the source said, where Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, and Umno president and opposition leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were present.

Zahid, who was deputy prime minister in Najib’s government, was given a front-row seat, while Mujahid was seated near the back.