This was revealed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob when delivering a speech at the Deepavali open house at the Malaysia Tourism Centre tonight.

Prior to this, former MIC president S Samy Vellu had been appointed special envoy to India and South Asia in 2011 but the Pakatan Harapan government terminated it after taking over in May 2018.

In September, it was announced that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Progressive Democratic Party president Tiong King Sing will continue in their respective roles as special envoys to the Middle East and China.

Former human resources minister Richard Riot Jaem was also appointed a special envoy for East Asia.

The special envoy post is a ministerial-level position.