Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
Saudi Arabia has lost one of its most distinguished diplomatic figures with the passing of retired Minister Plenipotentiary Ali Ahmed Abdul Wahhab a few days ago. Funeral prayers for him were offered at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and he was buried in a Makkah cemetery.
Abdul Wahhab will be remembered for his sincere and dedicated service to the Saudi diplomatic corps spanning a period of 40 years. He retired from service after representing the Kingdom in several countries. We were colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he joined the ministry after graduating from a university in Egypt. I was one year senior to him working in the administrative corps when he joined as diplomatic attaché. At that time, I was also attending evening classes to complete the secondary level of my education.
Being a very simple and humble man, Abdul Wahhab helped me with my studies, especially in learning the English language. He always encouraged me to continue my education until I earned a university degree, which was essential for an embassy staffer to switch from the administrative corps to the diplomatic corps.
It is not possible to maintain warmth and consistency in friendly relations among colleagues in diplomatic missions. This is mainly because of the nature of their work. One colleague can be transferred to the West while another is sent to the East after a fixed period of time. This is what happened in the case of Abdul Wahhab and myself. After our work at the ministry, I was transferred to Pakistan while Abdul Wahhab’s posting was to Switzerland and then an African country. He was then appointed as charge d'affaires in the Netherlands.
Abdul Wahhab also worked at the Saudi embassy in Malaysia during the period of the renowned Ambassador Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hamad Al-Shubaily, who was best known for his statesmanship, generosity and humility. It seems to me that Abdul Wahab was highly influenced by Al-Shubaily.
The diplomatic mission where Abdul Wahhab made an outstanding contribution was Bangladesh. He served twice as charge d’affaires at the Saudi embassy in Dhaka. He assumed the post after the transfer of two ambassadors. His first turn was after the transfer of Ambassador Fuad Al-Khateeb, who was appointed as the first Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh after its secession from Pakistan. His father Sheikh Abdul Hameed Al-Khateeb was the Kingdom’s first ambassador to Pakistan.
Fuad Al-Khateeb’s transfer from Bangladesh was made on an urgent basis before the expiry of his term. It was because of his appointment as assistant secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which changed its name later to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). A number of diplomats had been appointed as charge d’affaires in Dhaka one after another but their performance was not up to the required level and there were also some excesses on their part. This prompted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to appoint Abdul Wahhab as charge d’affaires, who set things at the embassy in order and cleared up the mess.
Abdul Wahhab was also able to establish rapport with the then Bangladesh President Gen. Hussain Mohammad Ershad, who seized power after overthrowing President Abdus Sattar through a military coup. In his bid to consolidate power, Ershad wanted to have a rapprochement with the opposition. For this, he found in Abdul Wahhab the best person to mediate with the opposition. When Ershad revealed his intention, Abdul Wahhab readily accepted it with much enthusiasm. Accordingly, he started intense negotiations with the opposition leaders and was successful in winning confidence of some of them who eventually accepted Ershad’s request to join the government. At the same time, some opposition leaders refused to cooperate with Ershad since he had ousted an elected president by staging a coup.
The most prominent among the opposition figures whom Abdul Wahhab was able to convince was Shah Azizur Rahman, who served as prime minister while Zia-ur Rahman was the president. Azizur Rahman was one of the leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, headed by Begum Khaleda Zia. He broke away from the Nationalist Party in order to join the party of Ershad. Some differences of opinion broke out between them and it was said that Ershad finally betrayed Rahman. Some people blamed Abdul Wahhab for this.
However, when I met Azizur Rahman and asked about his relations with Abdul Wahhab, he replied by praising him. He commended the great capabilities of Abdul Wahhab in both diplomacy and negotiations. Rahman, a veteran politician, was a student leader during British colonial rule in the undivided India in the subcontinent. Known for his honesty and clean image, Rahman lived and died a poor man. He died during my diplomatic stint in Bangladesh and I was able to attend his funeral.
The first period of Abdul Wahhab as charge d’affaires at the Dhaka embassy did not last long. However, his achievements during this period were great, thanks to his close relations with the president of the country. His second tenure was after the fall of President Ershad following the takeover of power by the Nationalist Party, which won the elections.
Abdul Wahhab was able to establish a very good rapport with both the government and opposition and ran the embassy with extraordinary statesmanship. He was a successful, gracious and humble diplomat with very good manners. May Allah bestow him mercy and forgiveness. I offer heartfelt condolences to his sons, daughters and all of the other members of his family, as well as to his friends and loved ones.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
