Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 3 -- The Foreign Ministry hopes to get more funding in the 2020 Budget to enable it to produce more world-class diplomatic officers and empower Wisma Putra as a whole, said its minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

Wisma Putra, he said, would utilise the allocation to expand the study programme for its diplomatic officers through cooperation with local public universities for them to pursue master’s degree or doctorate studies on part-time basis.

Wisma Putra currently has about 500 officers and out of that, only between five and seven officers are PhD holders, he said.

“We need to increase the ratio to raise the number of diplomats who are experts in other fields," he told the media here today.

He said under the 2019 Budget, the Foreign Ministry was allocated nearly RM800 million.

Saifuddin said with additional allocation, Wisma Putra would be able to improve the welfare of its staff abroad, including their allowance and maintenance of their housing quarters.

“These things may seem trivial but they need to be resolved immediately because they can affect their focus when working,” he added.

He recalled an incident where a Malaysian Embassy officer in France was sued because of leakage in his house, causing water to enter into a neighbour’s house.

-- BERNAMA