Eyebrows raised over Rosmah-Kuan Yew meet
Andrew OngPublished: Jun 18, 2009 9:40 AM | Updated: Jun 18, 2009 11:20 AM
As the dust settles after the Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's whirlwind tour of Malaysia, a nagging question remains: Just why did the senior statesman needed a one-to-one meeting with the first lady?
As the dust settles after the Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's whirlwind tour of Malaysia, a nagging question remains: Just why did the senior statesman needed a one-to-one meeting with the first lady?
According to Singaporean daily Straits Times, Lee had requested for a meeting with first lady Rosmah Mansor and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made the necessary arrangements.
The duo (right) met on June 10 at the Najib's personal residence in Bukit Tunku and chatted for an hour over traditional satay and kueh.
An opinion piece in Chinese-language Sin Chew Daily described the meeting as "weird" and unconventional, particular since Lee's other meetings during his eight-day tour involved almost exclusively of the country's most powerful politicians.
But the author of the article later alluded to the fact that first lady Rosmah was no ordinary first lady.
Lee had explained that he met the first lady because both Rosmah and Najib worked as a team.
Political observer and Malaysiakini columnist Josh Hong agrees, and given that the first couple worked as a team and it was necessary to understand them both.
"That remark was a subtle indication of the very significant role Rosmah is playing.
"He was probably suggesting that Rosmah is quiet influential on Najib," said Hong.
Not a symbolic first lady
Hong points out that the general perception was that former premiers Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had wives that were relatively low profile.
Rosmah on the other hand, attracted a lot of publicity even before Najib became prime minister and there had been repeated innuendos that she was somehow involved in the Altantuya Sharriibbuu murder.
"She is quite high profile and particularly in her education agenda. I remember early this year, she appeared on television appealing for funds for Palestine.
"At the time, Abdullah was still the prime minister and such major fund raisers would be headed by the (then) first lady. But Rosmah was already using this channel to promote herself," said Hong.
Academic Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said that Rosmah may be posturing herself as an individual that is "beyond a symbolic first lady" in view of her frequent media appearances.
"She appears to be contributing to many social activities. Press reports mentioned her asking Lee about Singapore's Gifted Education Programme. Maybe she is exploring the roles she can play (in society)," said Sivamurugan, who is the deputy head of the School of Social Science in USM.
All in the family
Another academic Prof Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, believes that Lee's meeting with Rosmah has less to do with politics but more with the ties between the two families.
Shamsul said that Lee had known Najib's father and second Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussien since the duo were both pursuing law, albeit in different institutions, in England in the late 1940s.
"This is the only PM where Lee can say, 'I knew him since he was crawling'... Though people think that meeting (with Rosmah) is strange, but it should not be," said Shamsul, a renowned anthropologist from UKM.
Shamsul speculates that since so much, including some serious allegations, had been said and made about Rosmah, it was only natural for Lee to want to meet her and draw his own conclusions.
"Why should Lee bother when his intelligence personnel can tell him everything? He wants to meet first hand and find out the truth. A face-to-face meet allows him look in Rosmah's eyes, study her body language and learn," he added.
Shamsul adds that there is a misconception of Rosmah hogging the limelight of late, since she has been active for years in a lot of charities, which is receiving intensive coverage now.
Citing two examples, Shamsul said Rosmah had been heavily involved in UKM's Permata Pintar programme, which is a course to identify gifted children and with the National Council of Women's Organisation.
"A lot of projects were 'alleviated' when she became the first lady. She seems like she is so busy now, but she has been doing all this for a while," he said.
According to Singaporean daily Straits Times, Lee had requested for a meeting with first lady Rosmah Mansor and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made the necessary arrangements. The duo (right) met on June 10 at the Najib's personal residence in Bukit Tunku and chatted for an hour over traditional satay and kueh.
An opinion piece in Chinese-language Sin Chew Daily described the meeting as "weird" and unconventional, particular since Lee's other meetings during his eight-day tour involved almost exclusively of the country's most powerful politicians.
But the author of the article later alluded to the fact that first lady Rosmah was no ordinary first lady.Lee had explained that he met the first lady because both Rosmah and Najib worked as a team.
Political observer and Malaysiakini columnist Josh Hong agrees, and given that the first couple worked as a team and it was necessary to understand them both.
"That remark was a subtle indication of the very significant role Rosmah is playing.
"He was probably suggesting that Rosmah is quiet influential on Najib," said Hong.
Not a symbolic first lady
Hong points out that the general perception was that former premiers Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had wives that were relatively low profile.
Rosmah on the other hand, attracted a lot of publicity even before Najib became prime minister and there had been repeated innuendos that she was somehow involved in the Altantuya Sharriibbuu murder.
"She is quite high profile and particularly in her education agenda. I remember early this year, she appeared on television appealing for funds for Palestine. "At the time, Abdullah was still the prime minister and such major fund raisers would be headed by the (then) first lady. But Rosmah was already using this channel to promote herself," said Hong.
Academic Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said that Rosmah may be posturing herself as an individual that is "beyond a symbolic first lady" in view of her frequent media appearances.
"She appears to be contributing to many social activities. Press reports mentioned her asking Lee about Singapore's Gifted Education Programme. Maybe she is exploring the roles she can play (in society)," said Sivamurugan, who is the deputy head of the School of Social Science in USM.
All in the family
Another academic Prof Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, believes that Lee's meeting with Rosmah has less to do with politics but more with the ties between the two families.
Shamsul said that Lee had known Najib's father and second Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussien since the duo were both pursuing law, albeit in different institutions, in England in the late 1940s.
"This is the only PM where Lee can say, 'I knew him since he was crawling'... Though people think that meeting (with Rosmah) is strange, but it should not be," said Shamsul, a renowned anthropologist from UKM.Shamsul speculates that since so much, including some serious allegations, had been said and made about Rosmah, it was only natural for Lee to want to meet her and draw his own conclusions.
"Why should Lee bother when his intelligence personnel can tell him everything? He wants to meet first hand and find out the truth. A face-to-face meet allows him look in Rosmah's eyes, study her body language and learn," he added.
Shamsul adds that there is a misconception of Rosmah hogging the limelight of late, since she has been active for years in a lot of charities, which is receiving intensive coverage now.
Citing two examples, Shamsul said Rosmah had been heavily involved in UKM's Permata Pintar programme, which is a course to identify gifted children and with the National Council of Women's Organisation.
"A lot of projects were 'alleviated' when she became the first lady. She seems like she is so busy now, but she has been doing all this for a while," he said.
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