Page 7 - IDFR-Diplomatic Voice Vol 2 2014

FORUM FORUM In the decade leading up to 2020, work under the guidance of distin- Aznan Mat Piah is current- Malaysia has to deal with great chang- guished and prominent diplomats like ly a Senior Academic es in the global environment whilst Tan Sri Ahmad Kamil Jaafar, Tan Sri Fellow at the International Islamic University Malay- improving and upgrading the country’s Hasmy Agam, Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, sia. He lectures in the domestic conditions. Recognising this the late Datuk Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, Department of Communi- challenge, Malaysia’s foreign policy Dato' Kamaruddin Abu, the late Dato' cation on specialized sub- would continue to focus on protecting Ismail Ambia and Dato' Shahuddin jects of public relations, diplomatic communication and strategic com- national interests while contributing Mohamed Taib. munication. He has been involved in govern- responsibly towards the building of a ment public relations, corporate communica- fair and just world. They were my mentors and they had tion and media relations, and public diploma- been instrumental in guiding me to cy work both at home and abroad; having served the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the This development certainly calls for a focus and sustain my interest in the Ministry of Information for a total of 32 years. more enhanced role for public diplo- field of diplomacy in general, and He has contributed to the development of macy to establish a credible image for public diplomacy in particular. public relations profession in Malaysia through Malaysia in the eyes of the internation- One cannot rule out the importance of several years of involvement in the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) as Council al community. public diplomacy role in getting the Member. right message across to the interna- Tribute tional audiences in building mutually beneficial relationship and in contri- Looking back, I had the opportunity to buting towards national interest. Reflections: Simulation on Promoting and Defending National Interest Contributed by Ahmad Irshad Razib The simulation session of the Promot- press statement relating to their given conducted by a guest speaker Mr. ing and Defending National Interest topic. The simulation session module Brian Cracknell, on areas that they module for the Diploma in Diplomacy was set up in a mock press confer- could improve. (DiD) programme 2/2014 was held on ence setting, with the presence of at 4 and 5 August 2014 at IDFR. least three panelists acting as journal- The participants learnt that in promot- ists who posed challenging questions ing and defending any national The purpose of the module is to equip to the participants. The panelists agenda, especially when representing future diplomats of the country with consisted of senior officials from the the country at an international public the necessary skills in promoting and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, senior setting, one must first stay grounded upholding the nation’s agenda at the management of IDFR, members of the to Malaysia’s current policy and global stage. Simultaneously, the National Union of Journalist and other branding. When presenting a cause, it module was formulated to train diplo- experienced media practitioners. is crucial to acquire sound knowledge mats in dealing with members of the of the subject and possess a good media and building positive relations For a few months prior to being tested command of the language used during with the media. in the simulation session, the partici- the presentation. Being firm yet pants were given courses in handling accommodating to journalists during The 16 participants of DiD 2/2014 difficult questions, preparing press an interview is also an essential trait. were each given different topics of statements and delivering effective current interest ranging from Malay- presentations. The participants went sia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2015, through painstaking measures to to the empowerment of women in ensure that they possess adequate Malaysia. grasp of the issue to be presented, attain the confidence level to deal with For the simulation module, the partici- difficult questions and emerge strong pants had to play the role of a senior when being provoked. diplomat or other senior officials of a government agency and were given At the end of the simulation session, seven minutes each to deliver their the participants had a regroup session DIPLOMATIC VOICE 7