DPM WILL BE ASKED TO PUSH FOR DIPLOMATIC POST IN MELBOURNE

Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, Oct 8 (Bernama) – The Malaysian Students Department (MSD), Australia,
is hoping the visit here this weekend by Deputy Prime Minster Muhyiddin Yassin
will speed up its bid to have a Malaysian consulate established here.

"Malaysia has already sent an officer to Australia to manage the proposed
consulate in Melbourne, but the Australian Government has not granted us
diplomatic status for a post in Melbourne," the Sydney-based acting MSD Director
Zahari bin Long said Friday.

"This officer is now in Sydney at our Consulate office and is frustrated that he
cannot move to Melbourne," Zahari said.

He said he would ask Muhyiddin to get Wisma Putra (Foreign Ministry) to apply to
the Australian Foreign Affairs Department to grant Malaysia a diplomatic post
here.

"It is necessary and important that Malaysia has a consulate in Melbourne
because of the large number of Malaysians living and studying in Melbourne,"
Zahari said.

Melbourne has more than 9,000 Malaysian students of the 22,000 in Australia.

Zahari said the students were clamouring for a consulate office here because
they had to go to Canberra or Sydney to have problems attended to.

"I am sure with Muhyiddin's help Wisma Putra will attend to our need," he said.

Muhyiddin will be here on Sunday to officially open the A$5 million
extension to Malaysia Hall in the suburb of Windsor.
-- BERNAMA