Now that the elections are over Rosmah has returned with a vengeance.
With thousands of families struggling to pay their bills and many having to forgo the annual holidays, you would think self-styled ‘First Lady’ (FLOM) Rosmah Mansor might exercise a little restraint with her spending.
Rosmah’s trip to Qatar, in early November, was paid by the taxpayer. The cabinet had approved Rosmah’s use of the executive jet to for this “important trip”. The important trip Shahidan referred to, included a fashion show in Qatar.
One would understand if it was Zandra Rhodes flying to fashion capitals around the world; but Rosmah?
Shahidan said that Rosmah was representing Malaysia, “for the interest of the people.”
Would Shahidan like to explain how Rosmah can be identified with many Malaysians and the specific interest he meant? Whenever he opens his mouth, Shahidan makes less sense than a village idiot.
He talked about Rosmah’s trip having a “positive effect” on the country. The only positive thing about the trip is the vitriol which the rakyat has heaped upon Najib Tun Razak and Rosmah.
In the run-up to GE13, Najib banished his wife into the background. She maintained a low profile because he knew that with her presence, he would have suffered even more drastic losses.
Now that the elections are over Rosmah has returned with a vengeance. Remember how she would allegedly order newspapers editors and owners to show her in a positive light and feature at least one article and one flattering photo of her in the mainstream media and TV everyday.
Najib knows that surrounding himself with intelligent, independent and creative young men would make him stick out like a diseased tree so he cultivates men and women who are past their sell-by date, who lack charisma and intellect, and who are born with nodding donkey syndrome to champion him because he knows that outsiders would view him as the cleverest man in the cabinet.
Shahidan is typical of the dumb Malay who invokes the name of God when he has nothing constructive or intelligent to say. He said, “May God make those who lie about this issue to repent or increase his wrath on them.” With this statement, Shahidan is stating quite clearly that he does not fear the wrath of God.
Shahidan praised Rosmah for being hardworking and said that Malaysians should learn to appreciate her.
If both Shahidan and Rosmah want to know what working hard is then they only need to descend from their ivory towers and see what goes on in the land of the living and not the land of make-believe in Putrajaya. There are people who are struggling to feed their families and are barely surviving.
Rosmah arrived in Qatar on Nov 10 and on the following day delivered a 25 minute speech at the Qatar International Business Women’s conference which was held at the St Regis Hotel in Doha.
She told the delegates that women owned just under 20 % of the businesses in Malaysia. Some had started off small then became “larger” enterprises. She said that women were capable of success, when given equal opportunities and support.
Expensive tea parties
Did that short elementary address warrant a planeload of ministerial wives and their entourage all junketing at the taxpayer’s expense?
It would have been more judicious for Rosmah and the other wives to donate the millions of ringgits wasted on the trip to establish a business fund to assist single mothers to start businesses or get further education or to pay for childcare.
On the same day Rosmah met the Qatari PM and delivered Najib’s invitation for him to visit Malaysia in 2014.
It would have been cheaper for the two men to speak over the phone or arrange for the Malaysian ambassador to deliver the invitation.
On the following day Rosmah paid a visit to The Qatar Foundation to discuss education and the health of refugee children.
The millions of ringgits wasted in flying Rosmah and her entourage to Qatar could have been donated to the refugee children.
So Rosmah attended an Islamic fashion show and then had tea with the Qatari PM’s wife. Then, on Nov 13 she visited the UAE PM’s wife. Cynics would say that these were very expensive tea parties.
Already it is beginning to look like the Malaysian rakyat is funding a private holiday for Rosmah and her close friends.
She witnessed a signing ceremony and visited the Humanitarian Aid Centre for UN workers on Nov 14. This waste of money was nothing more that a publicity stunt for Rosmah.
Shahidan and the cabinet ministers must think the rakyat is stupid. He tried to deflect criticism by saying that the trip was both responsible and transparent. If so please tell the rakyat the following:
- The total amount of money spent on Rosmah and her entourage, over those few days.
- The gifts they received from their hosts, and were these declared?
There is confusion about the trip. One politician said it was a personal trip, another said she was there to represent the country.
Acting like children
Rosmah and her entourage should pick up the tab for hotel, accommodation, food and other personal expenses.
When did Rosmah become a politician and when was she elected as a representative? She is not qualified to represent the Malaysian people.
An itemised cost of the flight, crew, fuel, landing charges, apron fees, will reveal the true cost of this sojourn.
How much money was spent on the security detail and on her personal staff, their accommodation, food and overtime expenses?
How much was spent on medical personnel to accompany the FLOM and her entourage?
Wives of civil servants are not allowed to use the official car to go shopping in Kelana Jaya, so why should Rosmah take the official jet?
Is this a deliberate snub to the Qataris? Does the Malaysian government not consider Qatar sufficiently important to warrant a ministerial visit?
When will Najib, Rosmah and Shahidan learn that the rakyat does not tolerate Umno Baru’s sense of entitlement, which extends to their spouses, their children, their family members, mistresses and close friends?
The rakyat does not identify with the absent PM, or the wannabe PM. All they see is a self-styled ‘First Lady’ and her entourage of minister’s wives acting like children who have been let loose in a sweet shop.
camrybenz88
Executive jet can only be use by The Agong, PM & DPM, not otherwise.
2013-11-22 17:47