KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian ministers collectively made 236 official overseas visits last year, with the Foreign Affairs Minister leading the list with 39 trips, official records show.
The Prime Minister followed with 19 trips, while the Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister undertook 18.
Other ministries with high overseas engagements include the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister (15) and the Higher Education Minister (11).
Several ministers made fewer overseas visits, with the Youth and Sports Minister, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, and Federal Territories recording one each.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa stated that official overseas visits by Cabinet ministers are conducted as part of Malaysia’s membership in various international organisations.
In a parliamentary written reply on Wednesday (Feb 19), she said these visits are primarily to attend meetings with bodies such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), Asean, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the Developing Eight (D-8) group.
"The presence of Cabinet ministers as government representatives plays a crucial role in demonstrating Malaysia’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties and its global standing.
"Additionally, these overseas visits are part of Malaysia’s trade and investment promotion efforts to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and boost the national economy," she added.
She said the approved expenditure for the 236 overseas visits was RM44mil.
Ministerial overseas visits are required to follow strict conditions and are conducted with a prudent and cost-effective approach, she added.
List of Ministries/Agencies and Number of Overseas Visits
1. Prime Minister – 19
2. Deputy Prime Minister & Rural and Regional Development Minister– 7
3. Deputy Prime Minister & Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister– 6
4. Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Minister – 12
5. Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Minister– 1
6. Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Minister– 7
7. Youth and Sports Minister – 1
8. Digital Minister – 8
9. Home Affairs Minister – 8
10. Economy Minister – 4
11. Communications Minister – 7
12. Health Minister – 5
13. Works Minister – 3
14. Foreign Minister – 39
15. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister – 1
16. Plantation and Commodities Minister – 2
17. Agriculture and Food Security Minister – 5
18. Housing and Local Government Minister – 6
19. Education Minister – 3
20. National Unity Minister – 2
21. Higher Education Minister – 11
22. Women, Family and Community Development Minister – 3
23. Human Resources Minister – 5
24. Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister – 4
25. Defence Minister – 10
26. Investment, Trade and Industry Minister – 18
27. Finance II Minister – 3
28. Science, Technology and Innovation Minister – 8
29. Transport Minister – 5
30. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister – 15
31. Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister – 8
Total: 236 overseas visits
