Moving again. No, it is not a complaint – it is merely a statement of fact. Every three years or so, the diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs move house – some to a foreign country, others to return home for their stint in Malaysia. We often call it a ‘stint’ even though we are technically ‘home’ because it works the same way as a posting abroad: it is temporary, and one fine day, we will again be called…
His Majesty the Yang DiPertuan Agong, Sultan Mizan of Terengganu, presenting the Letter of Credence to a Malaysian Ambassador Ambassador ↗ For a rank-and-file diplomat (what we elegantly term ‘career diplomat’) to become an ambassador, these are the steps that are taken, procedurally. Bear in mind that different countries will have different processes, depending on the type of government in place. These differences are often very small, however, since most countries have a similar process in place. Step One: A…
A courtesy call is an appointment normally made by someone of a lesser rank, upon a much higher ranking person. For example, the first meeting between a new ambassador and a foreign minister will be termed as “Courtesy call by Ambassador (name) of (country) on the Minister of Foreign Affairs”. In some cases, you are not even sure who ranks higher, so in order to be safe you would also call that first meeting as a ‘courtesy call’. At other…
