Rosmah not milking taxpayers, says Nazri?

Tarani Palani

The minister tells Parliament that FLOM officers are members of the PM's staff.

KUALA LUMPUR: The government today maintained its claim that the office of the First Lady of Malaysia (FLOM) is not an extra burden on taxpayers.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz told Parliament that the officers working there were not specifically employed to serve the First Lady, a title claimed by Rosmah Mansor, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s wife.

He said the Prime Minister’s Department would occasionally assign some of its workers to help Rosmah with her administrative and correspondence duties.

“There is no question of additional costs,” he said in reply to Anthony Loke (DAP-Rasah).

Loke did not seem satisfied with the reply. He pointed out to Nazri that the website of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) once listed the names of six officers holding specific posts at FLOM.

“Why does this occur if there are no officers designated to FLOM?” he asked.

Nazri read again his reply from a prepared text and added that PMO was going through an updating process to avoid confusion on the matter.

The FLOM page on the PMO site was removed in late January, soon after online news portals highlighted it and provoked a deluge of criticism and ridicule on Najib and Rosmah.

FMT reported that FLOM had the same status held by the offices of the Prime Minister’s private secretary, political secretary and economic adviser, among others.

Rosmah’s activities as the ‘First Lady’ have come under immense scrutiny off late.

Yesterday, Loke had asked in Parliament to state the reasons and the cost for Rosmah’s trips to Arab Saudi, Oman and Bangladesh in January.

Nazri, in a written reply, had said the cost of the trip was RM134, 317.76 which included speaking invitations in Riyadh and Dhaka.

The statement added that the cabinet-approved entourage included  Women, Family and Society Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, wifes of ministers, chief ministers and government officers who accompanied the prime minister’s wife.