YOURSAY 'Rosmah representing Malaysia at the 4th Qatar International Businesswomen's Forum? Is she a minister?'

Minister grilled over jet ride for Rosmah paid by gov't

Ferdtan: When PM Najib Razak said the rakyat must tighten their belts in this hard time as the country is facing economic crises, he didn't mean his wife, Rosmah Mansor. The rakyat can suffer but not his wife. She must go first class and in private jets.

So what can Malaysians do? The general election is over and BN won. If Malaysians are poor, Rosmah will say, "Let them eat cake." That was what a French queen said upon learning that the peasants had no bread.

Change Agent: Rosmah representing Malaysia at the 4th Qatar International Businesswomen's Forum? Is she a minister?

From what I have read it's just a junket paid by the rakyat. Minister in the PM's Department Shahidan Kassim, how can travelling by commercial airlines be more expensive than taking private jets?

Vatican67: An unelected person representing Malaysia at an international forum? If she is really a talented and an international businessperson, then she can represent Malaysia at the forum.

The question is, where is the proof of her business success? Can the cabinet provide it?

Odin: Having Rosmah represent Malaysia at an international businesswomen's forum does not seem the appropriate thing to do.

Surely there are very many Malaysian women far more equipped or qualified, such as those who are in the top echelons of sizeable companies or even transnational companies.

Next point, Shahidan seems to have the habit of making statements he cannot support. The recent one was his stating that the power bills of Seri Perdana were among the lowest in the world, but he was unable to provide any examples.

This time around, he is saying that relying on commercial flights, especially for last-minute trips, could sometimes be more costly than using private jets. He hasn't told us how that could be so.

He hasn't because that is merely a claim. A claim is just that - a statement you cannot support.

Abasir: Appointing a blithering idiot like Shahidan to face truth-seeking representatives of the people was a brilliant move by Umno, which knows that his utter stupidity will result in non-answers.

Despite that, this exposure has confirmed what the people have always suspected: Najib and his wife will continue with their high living at the people's expense while the minions propping them up will do the same.

Ex-PJ: This is conflict of interest at many levels. Bad behaviour starts at the very top in this BN government, and it is no surprise that the ministers follow suit. A total lack of decency and conscience on spending the rakyat money.

Onyourtoes: Did the cabinet explicitly consider the decision to allow the wife of PM to use the private jet to Qatar? My intuition told me ‘no'. Ask them to show the cabinet paper submitted for this decision and minutes of the meeting.

CiViC: I don't want Rosmah representing Malaysia. She's a disgrace to the nation. I, as a citizen and legitimate voter, says no to this.

And as for Shahidan, we are not surprised, we did not expect any intelligence from you, and indeed we did not get any, especially from your statement that claims "sometimes" commercial flights can be more costly than using executive jets.

Moontime: The PM doesn't know how to walk the talk. He asked the rakyat to live within our means, cut wastage, don't take too much sugar and replace our cars after 12 years, and he has the audacity to travel like a rich tycoon.

Looking at the huge traveling expenses incurred, it makes more sense to travel using conventional means. Perhaps Najib thinks he is a cut above us just because he is the PM.

A leader that spends extravagantly and lets his wife to use the executive jet shows how out of touch he is to the real world. When Dr Mahathir Mohamad was PM, did we hear his wife using the government jet for attending 'official' functions overseas?

One thing is for sure: Dr Siti Hasmah has way more class than Rosmah and she doesn't need to prove it by treating the government like her own fiefdom.

Toffeesturn: Don't you see what is happening here? Shahidan was protecting himself against the wrath of Rosmah.

He had to defend her to the extent that he made a fool of himself, a damn fool at that too, and he had no alternative, his very job or maybe even his very existence depended on it.

What we all fail to see here is that the prime minister's wife seems to be more powerful than the PM himself.

This is the storm after the calm, remember how quiet she was during the entire general election campaign as well as Umno elections, now it is all hell let loose - her husband has won on both fronts albeit with great suspicion of massive cheating.

She played her cards right by keeping away from the limelight during the entire electoral campaign. If she is so good send her to Syria to negotiate between the warring parties, or for that matter to Pakistan's North West Frontier to talk to the Taliban.

Old Timer: Now we know why Malaysia is always short of cash and need to cut subsidies, raise prices and taxes and implement the GST (goods and services tax).

Our government is wasteful and don't care at all about the poor Malaysians who work their guts out to pay these taxes.

Justice Pao: When Lim Guan Eng and the Penang delegation went to China, an MCA politician starts querying. But why is he not barking now at this real abuse of public funds?

FairGame: Remember Imelda Marcos? Well, it seems we also have one here in Malaysia.

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