Najib again skirts around Shahrizat's appointment

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has, for the second day in a row, skirted queries on whether Umno Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil will be appointed as his special officer.

Instead, Najib in turn queried journalists about their fixation over the former women, family and community development minister.

"Why are you so interested in her?" he asked during a press conference at the residence of chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa.

Najib had yesterday declined to elaborate on a media report that Shahrizat is set to be  appointed as his special officer on women’s affairs, stating that no announcement had been made.

The opposition has accused Najib of pandering to party politics in the mooted appointment of Shahrizat, whose family is embroiled in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal.

However, current Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim (above) today denied that Shahrizat is to be an adviser to her ministry.

Meanwhile, on a another matter, Najib also declined to weigh in when asked about the controversy over the misuse of a surau in Johor, stating: "I don't want to comment about that."

'No need emergency sitting on Egypt'

However, the prime minister did comment on PAS' call for an emergency parliamentary sitting to address the bloodshed in Egypt, of which he said the Malaysian government's immediate priority was its students there.

"That (emergency sitting) is not necessary, what is important now is to deal with our students studying there.

"The interim government in Egypt is also considering that it is an internal matter," he said.

Najib said the government would begin the evacuation of Malaysian students in Egypt from tonight, using commercial flights.

This, he said, was in light of the National Security Council's advice that the situation in Egypt could deteriorate.