What every woman wants

Rosmah - the power driving Najib and Putrajaya

Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle

Behind every great man there is a great woman. History is full of men who have achieved fame, or infamy, by their association with women with strong personalities. Some say it is their mothers but in Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s case, it is more likely to be his wife, Rosmah Mansor, who is driving him on.

In present day Malaysia, where the divorce rates of Malay couples is on the rise, it is nice to know of the harmonious relationship that is shared by this couple. Even in cyber space, they appear to work together, for both Najib and Rosmah have ‘his’ and ‘hers’ official sites to get to know the rakyat better.

She is fastidious about the images of her and her husband and is alleged to ‘approve’ which programs can be aired on television, especially if they present her husband’s government in a bad light.

On an official visit to the US with Najib, a centre-fold spread in the New York Times glorified Rosmah, ‘Malaysia’s First Lady’ and praised her for receiving the International Peace and Harmony Award. The advertisement allegedly cost RM5 million.

Recently, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Australian Premier Julia Gillard arrived for an official visit, but it was Rosmah, who was in ‘high spirits standing in for Najib at functions’, receiving her distinguished guests because Najib was stricken with chicken-pox.

No one doubts her ability to take a prominent rôle in politics but is she the appropriate person to make promises to constituencies on behalf of her husband’s party? In the Hulu Selangor by-election, didn’t Rosmah promise a Permata centre for the area?

Rosmah claims on her blog to “actively champion womens' issues and advocate womens' rights and interests”. Is this limited to coffee mornings and official events, with no practical help for the troubled women?

During a dinner in Sarawak, three activists presented Rosmah with a petition to help the Penan women whose rapes had been headlines news across the world. To date, this group of women has not received justice.

So what does every woman want? More to the point, what does Rosmah want?

A woman wants a man to listen to her and someone she can talk to, without him getting into a rage. Najib does that.

Every woman wants to be appreciated, respected, and told that she is someone “special”. Most people will accord her that.

Every woman wants positive words. Many in her circle already give her that.

Every woman wants a man with vision, who will accomplish goals and dreams. Not to worry, Rosmah will make sure Najib performs.

Every woman wants a working man and she also craves stability. – financially, spiritually and socially. For her, the man must have an even-temper, deep pockets, a good name and reputation. He must be a kind person, an ambitious man, a family-orientated man, a passionate man, a loving man – though not necessarily in that order.

Now that the threat posed by Pakatan is real and there exists an even greater threat from political factions within his own party, Najib is aware that it would be judicious to consider the timing of Umno’s internal party elections.

Najib is more concerned about his own survival within the party and no one knows more about the perceived threat to his position, than his wife.