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PUTRAJAYA, July 20 (Bernama) — Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar Thursday brushed aside claims that he had been booed by Umno members during a session to explain current issues organised by the party.

He said he had been well received when he attended a recent briefing for Selangor Umno members but saw on the Internet later stories purporting that he had been the target of boos from the audience.

"I don’t know who provides this kind of information. I had my officers from my ministry. So I asked them did anybody boo me? I know that I had a lot of claps but no boos," he told a news conference at his ministry here.

Syed Hamid said his intention was to make Umno grassroots understand why the government had to take certain decisions, such as scrapping the proposed bridge to replace the Causeway.

"We explained the situation so that they will be able to make an assessment on the role of the government and the party. I think I’m very happy with the response so far. It has been very positive, it has enriched me and allowed me to explain a lot of issues," he said.

The minister said some of the questions that were of interest to Umno members were how the government arrived at the decision to abort the bridge and whether there really was any agreement on the project.

"We have explained the facts and we do not get into the emotive part of it, whether this is right or wrong. But we’d say this was how the government arrived at the decision," he said.

Syed Hamid pointed out that governments "do make decisions from time to time and sometimes change them".

Ministers and party leaders have been tasked to go to the ground and explain issues raised by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he questioned several government decisions.

Syed Hamid was also asked why the government had not declassified official documents pertaining to negotiations with Singapore over the bridge which occurred after Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came to power.

He said : "I think no government in the world will open up all its files. The most important thing is we have told the truth on the issues that were raised and we have produced documents with respect to those issues."

It would be hard for the government to function, he said, if every little detail of what transpired during any negotiation were made public.

"No government will show this is the letter I write, this is why we do not write, this is the conversation that we had. I think that will make the function of government impossible. So, we have done what is relevant," he said.

"Even when you are making Coca-cola or Pepsi there are some recipes that you must keep (to yourself)," quipped Syed Hamid.

Earlier, Syed Hamid announced the appointment of Ambassador Mohd Arshad Manzoor Hussain as Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

On the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the minister disagreed with a suggestion that the Organisation of Islamic Conference was not doing anything to stop Israeli attacks.

He said all parties were working together to see how best to address the situation.

Syed Hamid also received Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai who is the Asean-endorsed candidate in the race for the United Nations’ secretary-general post.

The 48-year-old Surakiart told reporters later that he updated Syed Hamid on his campaign to become the UN supremo.

"Asean ambassadors in New York and elsewhere have been working together strategically and very hard to support me in this campaign. I really appreciate their effort," he said.

He will have a special session with all Asean foreign ministers next week in conjunction with the Asean Ministerial Meeting and other related meetings in Kuala Lumpur.

– BERNAMA