KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s job as special envoy to the Middle East with a ministerial status is to help and advise the prime minister in ways that would enhance Malaysia’s interests there, Parliament was told yesterday.

"This covers the fields of Islam, education, trade and investment,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said in a written reply.

He added that since Hadi’s appointment eight months ago, the Marang MP "has carried out work to explore opportunities for Malaysia to benefit from good diplomatic relations with Middle East nations”.

"YB Special Envoy has carried out discussions with YB Foreign Minister and related agencies,” he said, without specifying which foreign minister or which agencies were involved in the discussions.

"Besides that, YB Special Envoy had also held meetings and received courtesy visits from ambassadors from Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Iran, Oman, Afghanistan, Syria and Bahrain and received direct feedback in efforts to strengthen bilateral relationships involving cooperation in Islam, politics, economy, investment and education,” he added.

"The work outcome and report by this special envoy is reported directly to the prime minister,” Redzuan said, in referring to Hadi making direct reports to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Redzuan, who is in charge of special functions as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, was responding to an oral question yesterday in the Dewan Rakyat by Kampar MP Thomas Su Keong Siong.

Su had asked the prime minister to detail Hadi’s role, duties, portfolio and achievements as the special envoy to the Middle East — a post holding a status equivalent to a minister — since his April 2 appointment.