Permata will be retained, meeting to be held with management, says minister

PUTRAJAYA: Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail reiterated yesterday that the Pakatan Harapan government will retain the National Permata Programme for gifted children.

She said a meeting would be held with Permata’s management to discuss the programme.

“I would like to reiterate what I said before.

“Whatever is good in Permata or any other programmes under the ministry will be retained and improved.

“Nevertheless, we need to conduct an audit to see whether it is cost-effective and certain things that we can improve on will be taken into consideration,” she said.

Dr Wan Azizah was answering a question on whether there would be an investigation into allocations given to the programme.

When asked if there would be a change in the name of the programme, Dr Wan Azizah cheekily asked; “To change its name? Pink Diamond?”, which drew laughther from the room.

Permata is the brainchild of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

On Tuesday, Dr Wan Azizah said the PH government would retain Permata after she clocked in for her first day in office at Perdana Putra as deputy prime minister.

She said the programme was one of the good programmes (under Barisan Nasional) that was closely tied to children’s development.

She said she had discussed with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad about moving the programme, which is under the Prime Minister’s Office, to her ministry.