Rosmah says she won’t step down even if pressured
LANGKAWI: The Prime Minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor yesterday pointed out that she will not step down as patron of the Permata programme even if there was pressure from the opposition to do so.
Rosmah said this was because all the efforts and struggles she had contributed all this while was not for self-interest but for the nation and the children who would inherit the nation.
The 10-year period that Permata had gone through had been full of hardship and challenges, she said, adding that during her tenure as patron she was made the subject of various slanders and accusations from the opposition party.
“Various accusations were hurled at us, as though I had pressured the government to increase the allocation for Permata, as though I had misappropriated the Permata funds for personal benefits.
“Whatever the people want to say, it’s alright, for the sake of the Malaysian children, all the false accusations from the opposition, even though they are bitter for me to swallow, I just ignore them like the passing wind.
“I am confident that Allah SWT is always behind those people who are doing good,” she said in her speech at the official launching of the Langkawi National Permata Children Centre at the LADA Complex here yesterday.
Rosmah said, as the wife of the country’s number one leader, she could not just stay home or accompany the Prime Minister in discharging his official duty, on the principle of being a human being, she felt it was necessary for her to contribute to the nation.
“I strongly hold to the principle that all children are assets and a jewel to the country, and they have the same right to grow together as cheerful children and to become the nation’s human capital,” she said.
Now, Permata had become a manifestation of a successful nation and this was proven by the fact that 500,000 children had succeeded in undergoing preschool educational programme at the Permata centre during the period 2007 until 2017, she said.
“In the aspect of expanding access to more children to benefit from Permata, the programme “Permata On Wheels” had been implemented where the Permata activities were brought directly to the children especially in the rural areas,” she said.
What was even more encouraging, she said, Permata had identified 300 children who had a high level of IQ (intelligence quotient) between the ages of two and five years.
“In this context, we have organised the Junior Science Camp in collaboration with Permata Pintar centre to unearth children’s talents and intelligence since young, and they are given early exposure in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to promote interest in these fields,” she said.
The Permata Centre in Langkawi is the 89th such centre in the country, and the fourth in Kedah, which is located on the 1st Floor, Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) Complex and capable of accommodating 100 children. – Bernama
Ismail Sabri wants stern action against rapper
BERA: Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has urged the Home Ministry and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to take stern action against Wee Meng Chee or Namewee, following his recent controversial video titled ‘Like A Dog’.
He said the video, which depicted a group of individuals wearing dog masks and dancing suggestively near the Perdana Putra building, could stir racial tension and ruin the harmony which the country had achieved over the years.
“He has gone too far, maybe we can forgive one or two (incidents before this)...but I find that (Namewee’s) action this time (around) was the rudest of them all. He is (allegedly) trying to aggravate provocation towards us, the Muslims.
“If he wants to dance, that’s his problem.
“However, dancing in front of a mosque? To me, he is (trying) to provoke us as Muslims in the country,” he told reporters after attending a meet-the-people session at the Kampung Paya Mengkuang Ladang Surau here yesterday.
Ismail Sabri said Namewee seemed to be deliberately challenging the authorities to take action against him as the latter had come out with several such videos before this. – Bernama