First class crisis management by Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor

The rescue and evacuation of 11,000 students from troubled Egypt needed the personal efforts of our PM’s wife. If what the media reports is accurate, then it is only fair that our very own First Lady of Malaysiadeserves a salute from all Malaysians.Mind you it is not a public relations feat but one of intense capability!

While several countries had already brought home their citizens, the ‘opposition’ factions were levelling criticisms on the government for a seeming lack of immediate action. In fact, it was even reported that parents were going to descend upon Wisma Putra with their apprehensions for the safety of their loved ones.

But it takes the reported “personal ties” that Datin Paduka enjoys with the Saudi Monarchy to finally guarantee our citizens’ safety. Can you imagine what would have been the consequences if not for our First Lady’s foreign relationship building scores and subsequent intervention?

Luckily we have a First lady who can relate and feel like how mothers care for their off-springs. She knew instinctively that any delays would have cost us precious lives. It is a shame on the leaders on government payroll for not thinking and reacting likewise in the face of this crisis.

If not for Rosmah’s “phone call” to the King of Saudi Arabia, how on earth are our RMAF planes going to land? Certainly her crisis communication skills that even the Air Force apparently seemed to be lacking in, clinched a personal guarantee from the Royal Household of another nation to grant us “unlimited access”.

Nowhere in the world do you witness a prime minsiter's wife taking so much of trouble and leadership when faced with a crisis that has national significance. Even George Bush's wife - with utmost respect, could not do that in the face of the Katarina crisis that swept New Orleans' families and children. It was the then US President who flew in and consoled vctims as the wind and rain lashed out.

Her strength and hold on the Suadi Kingdom is well evident from the fact that they rushed to wake our PM in the wee hours of dawn. They would not even dare to be seen to be late in their response. It takes one resolute lady to make a huge difference in the wake of a crisis.

And mind you, given that the PM is far too busy, she rightly recognized that someone must step in to take on the un-attended or perhaps poorly attended national tasks. Her deeds clearly speak volumes about the efficiency of relevant government agencies and their paid heads. Can you imagine what would have been the liabilities if our PM’s wife had irresponsibly taken a back-stage mindset?

Now that the task has been superbly managed by our respectful First Lady of Malaysia, maybe it is most appropriate that the PM orders a full investigation into the rescue efforts of all bodies entrusted.

A post-mortem headed by Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor should unearth all the dead wood in our respective civil service. It would certainly mark another first step to make Malaysia more efficient in crisis communication and its management so that the US Secretary of State can wisely call upon other nations to also learn from us again.

Wonder what our paid senior civil servants have got to say? The market place is a good place to start with to obtain a feedback on their views and also to take an inventory of public opinion. - Malaysia Chronicle