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First Lady: To be or not to be
Published:  Jun 16, 2010 6:39 AM
Updated: Jun 16, 2010 5:55 AM

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'All parties should stop using the term ‘First Lady' in the Malaysian context. Rosmah as the wife of the PM ... has no standing officially.'

 

N ajib: 'First Lady' not higher than the queen

Matrix: It is not so much the question of 'First Lady', but rather the issue of the government of allegedly using our money to foot the advertisement bill to boost Rosmah Mansor's ego. And can someone tell me what Rosmah has done that entitles her to an 'International Peace' award?

Cala: Why should Batu MP Tian Chua spend so much time talking about the two-page paid advertisement in the New York Times ? By calling Rosmah the First Lady, will it make Malaysians a cent poorer? After all, as the logic goes, we still have an unscathed Raja Permaisuri, who, as has been rightly pointed out, is higher than its poor second - the First Lady.

What PM Najib Abdul Razak lacks is support from his party which simply cannot reform from within after years of plundering the nation. Platteau (2008) explained the entrapment of a culture best when he promoted the concept of "the equilibrium-of-the-game approach".

It has to do with the values, norms, and belief system party cadres have subscribed to after so many years of enjoying the easy money that seems to drop from the sky at the expense of the poor and of the masses. If anybody who dares to call for a change, he is duly marked as a traitor to the race. See what I mean?

Tomkurus: Tian Chua, don't you have better things to ask in Parliament? You are a mischievous devil, aren't you? First you doctored photos of Najib (with Altantuya Shaariibuu), now you ask silly questions that are of no national importance. We don't have a presidential system in Malaysia, and therefore the term ‘First Lady' is not relevant. There is no issue here.

In practice, the wife of the chief executive of the country is formally, or otherwise, referred to as the First Lady. Rosmah is, for all intents and purposes, the First Lady and the Queen is the Queen.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: There is no such thing as the First Lady in Malaysia. The federal constitution does not make provisions for any such person and the wife of the prime minister is a non-entity as far as the constitution and the laws of Malaysia are concerned.

Her Majesty the Raja Permaisuri Agong as the consort of the sovereign takes precedence after him over all other persons in the federation as provided for in the constitution. This is also confirmed by the Federal Order of Precedence issued by the PM's Department.

All parties should stop using the term ‘First Lady' in the Malaysian context. Rosmah as the wife of the PM is only entitled to courtesy by virtue of being his spouse and nothing more. She has no standing officially.

Given the dire state of government finances, Rosmah should stop following her husband on all overseas trips unless it is an official visit. Otherwise, for working visits and summit meetings, she ought not to be included in any official delegation. This is practised in most of the European Union.

Man: The PM clarified that the American NGO that conferred the (international peace) award on our ‘First Lady' also paid for the advertisement. Now pray tell us - why would, and how could, an NGO find so much money to place an advertisement in the newspaper for its having conferred an award on Malaysia's ‘First Lady'?

Will someone responsible please investigate this NGO and keep us innocent rakyat duly informed?

CarL: Can somebody please tell me the relevance of having an MP in Parliament spending his Question time on this silly matter? After all, Rosmah did not call herself First Lady. Others, like the media and so on, did.

Razinah Ghazali: Stop arguing on these nitty gritty things and get straight to the point for those who complain (about the issue). We will refer our Queen as Queen or Raja Permaisuri Agong and address her as Her Majesty, not First Lady.

Therefore, Rosmah is appropriate to be called First Lady. The British don't call Queen Elizabeth First Lady, do they? The First Lady is wife of the working head of government and not the head of state.

Lusiapa: Nowhere in the Commonwealth has the spouse of the head of government been so maligned and hated than this woman. No amount of accolade created by the spin doctors or other government lapdogs can undo the shame and contempt that she carries with her. Her arrogance and unrestrained craving for publicity will hasten her husband's downfall.

DOC: Najib goes around telling the rakyat that subsidies are bankrupting the country and the rakyat has to bear the cost. On the other hand, he has no qualms of allegedly forking out RM580,000 to RM740,000 (for each page of a two-page advertisement) in the New York Times just to give Rosmah an ego boost.

Why can't Najib take out an advertisment in The Star? It's cheaper, and MCA can foot the bill.

Teoh inquest: It's 4-0 to us, says MACC

Tell the Truth: (MACC head of prosecution) Abdul Razak Musa, don't be too happy. You may win this battle but you will be judged by the Almighty for your treachery to justice. Winning by distorting the truth will only give you temporary victory, but think of the curse you will pass onto your family. What does it profit a man to gain the world but lose his soul?

Smike: The Teoh Beng Hock (THB) death has became a football match for MACC's Abdul Razak. It is shame for the country that a department head to talk like a small boy.

Anonymous: One can manipulate man-made laws, not the natural law of justice. If they want to win at all cost, let them be. Looking at the development of the inquest, it carries no meaning to pursue it further. Why waste time and resources?

The killer(s) (if there is any) know better what they did. For TBH's family, if you can't forgive, just forget and carry on with the life with TBH junior. Raise him up to be a decent person.

 


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