‘VVIP’ reality check in order

COMMENT by Jeswan Kaur

 Both Rosmah and Shahrizat refuse to accept reality that the condemnation against them are valid.

An awkward anomaly has come about through the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) scandal and the perpetual controversies stirred up Rosmah Mansor, wife of prime minister Najib Tun Razak.

Both cases portray how Rosmah and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil who has been implicated in the misappropriation of funds allotted to the NFCorp no longer have the nation’s and the rakyat’s interest at heart.

While Shahrizat refuses to “surrender” gracefully and bid adieu to politics, Rosmah on the other hand refuses to stare reality in the face and admit that she has done nothing to help the people of this country, by virtue of her being the prime minister’s wife.

When the Penan women of Sarawak pleaded with Rosmah to help rescue them from the lecherous timber loggers, this self-proclaimed ‘first lady of Malaysia” conveniently ignored their pleas.

Perhaps the rapes on the Penan women and girls by the timber loggers in the forests of Sarawak have not ceased. Does it bother Rosmah?

Yet, the Perth-based Curtin Universty found it befitting to award Rosmah the honorary PhD award. University vice-chancellor Jeanette Hacket said the nominees to Curtin’s awards – including Rosmah’s were “considered on their own merits”.

Hacket said the flak arising from the awarding of the doctorate to Rosmah on Feb 11 did not change Curtin’s opinion of the PM’s wife.

This move by Curtin University has left both its past graduates and women activists fuming; Rosmah they say is no deserving recipient of the award.

Rosmah, while trying to hide her embarrassment, told her detractors: “I don’t want to handle personal petty issues. It is all out of frustration. It is all out of… I don’t know. Maybe jealousy.”

Rosmah and Shahrizat ‘victims’ of selfishness

Commenting on the brickbats coming her way vis-a-vis the Curtin University award, Rosmah said that her critics were being petty and that their criticisms had created an unhealthy culture that is not beneficial for Malaysia.

Like Shahrizat, the premier’s wife refuses to accept reality that the condemnation were valid. After all, why accept an award when you know you did nothing to deserve it?

Or was accepting the award yet another glamorous recognition Rosmah cannot do without, her way of telling one and all just how hard she has “worked” for the community?

Senator Shahrizat meanwhile is resolute that come what may, she is not about to quit both her ministerial and her Wanita Umno chief positions. But why the reluctance to do so?

Does Madame senator sincerely believe she can effectively serve the rakyat or maybe it is all about serving her own interests?

As a women, family and community minister, she made it worse when Shahrizat publicly ridiculed PKR’s strategic director Mohd Rafizi Ramli as being “soft”. To harp on one’s sexual orientation and ridicule them is not how a women, family and community development minister behaves.

To resent both the public and political pressure now facing her is a mistake Shahrizat can ill afford to make. The verdict is clear – the rakyat has lost their trust or ‘nambikei” as Najib puts it in her.

In her desperation to secure her political career, Shahrizat will stoop to any level necessary; but why the self-sabotage when from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “concern” for Shahrizat to not cling on to her positions is worth every penny.

Rosmah and Shahrizat a shame to womenfolk

The actions of both Rosmah and Shahrizat are nothing but dishonourable. While Rosmah keeps rubbishing all criticisms against her as acts of “jealousy”, she cannot go on denying truth that she has since 2008 after husband Najib assumed the country’s leadership done nothing but empty the coffers of the nation.

Take Rosmah’s ambitious Permata programme. It was afforded a funding of RM1.1 billion which was pocketed from the tax payers’. The allocation was meant for the establishment of pre-schools including those in Sarawak.

As far as PKR national women vice-president Voon Shiak Ni is concerned, Rosmah has not shown any results from her work to set-up pre-schools in Sarawak.

“We are not jealous of her receiving the award. We have no objection to honorary awards given to deserving ones. “She should have declined the award or should have deferred the conferment of the doctorate degree from Curtin University.

“It is not the time for her as she has not shown that there are results from her work to set up pre-schools in rural Sarawak, even though she has been allocated RM1.1 billion to do so,” Voon was quoted as saying.

Voon recalled Rosmah’s visit to Kuching two years ago when the PKR women had presented her with a memorandum highlighting issues which included the rape of Penan women and children in Sarawak.

“We also included issues on the need to improve education and health (standards) of the Penan community.

Unfortunately, none (of these issues) has seen any improvement or remedial action taken,” Voon had said.

‘VVIP’ reality check in order

The fact that Rosmah has not “lifted a finger” to assist women non-governmental organisations in Sarawak speaks laud and clear as to just how much of an humanitarian effort the premier’s wife has been putting in since 2008.

A disappointed Voon made no bones when she said: “For two years, she (Rosmah) has not lifted a finger yet to even response to us or to give assistance to the women non-governmental organisations (NGOs) here for them to help what is necessary for women and children which was brought up to her.

“We wish to tell her this. Set up pre-schools within the settlements of the Penans and the others in the interior of Sarawak immediately to ensure that these rural children have equal opportunity for early childhood education.

“Then the conferment of the doctorate will have been earned.

“We are brave to say this because it is within our personal knowledge that what was demanded by the people in Sarawak is not noted by Rosmah yet.”

A sad day for the women of this country when the premier’s wife is devoid of compassion and empathy in reaching out to them during their moments of distress.

Likewise, a lamentable day for the women of Malaysia when their flamboyant minister in charge of women, family and community affairs starts drawing daggers all for the sake of her political survival.

Both these instances bring home the message that it does not take much to win the popularity game but it definitely takes a lifetime to win the rakyat’s trust and this is where Rosmah and Shahrizat cannot claim any credit for.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.