Appointment of high commissioner to Singapore in process, says Hishammuddin

KLUANG: The Covid-19 pandemic is making it difficult for Wisma Putra to send a representative to fill the High Commissioner position in Singapore, which has been vacant for a year now.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the appointment of the Malaysian high commissioner to Singapore was still under process.

"There are still some technical issues that Wisma Putra must see to first," he said after officiating the Malaysia Prihatin Parliament Sembrong programme in Paloh here on Monday (April 12).

"I am not denying that the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for us to place representatives of our embassies in several countries," he added.

However, despite the absence of a high commissioner, he said the relationship between Malaysia and the island republic was still normal.

"In fact, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will be making an official visit to Singapore to meet his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on May 4," he added.

Hishammuddin said among the topics to be discussed was the reopening of the Malaysia-Singapore border.

He said even with the Johor government's desire to reopen the border within the next two months, Malaysia must get Singapore's approval first.

"The discussion process is still ongoing. Singapore Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan recently visited our country and we briefly discussed the matter.

"I will make sure that this is in the agenda to be discussed between Muhyiddin with Lee," he said.

The Malaysian high commissioner post to Singapore has been vacant for a year now after Datuk Zainol Rahim Zainuddin retired in April last year.

The Malaysian High Commission in Singapore is currently being headed by a charge d'affaires for the time being.