Rosmah gets her wish: Dr M says Permata will stay put

Rosmah Mansor's appeal for Permata to be maintained by the new government did not go unheard as Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced today that it will be maintained.

However, Mahathir said, the prime minister will no longer exercise control over the early childhood programme as it will be placed under Education Minister Maszlee Malik.

"The Permata programme will be transferred from the Prime Minister's Department to the Education Ministry," Mahathir told a press conference after chairing the cabinet meeting in Putrajaya today.

Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, initiated the Permata programme in 2006 and served as its patron.

In an interview, she appealed to the new government to maintain the programme after her husband led the BN to its first defeat in the May 9 general election, ending the coalition's 61-year hold on power.

Najib is currently being investigated over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds scandal.

During the tenure of the BN government, Permata had come under criticism over the manner in which it spent its RM30 million annual allocation.

Rosmah also came under criticism when she led a Permata delegation to Oxford in May last year. She later stressed that the trip was not a holiday.

She had also lamented that the programme did not get enough funding and said she would lobby her husband, as prime minister and finance minister, for more funds.

Rosmah has also defended the use of Permata funds, stating that they did not end up in her handbag.
defended

On a separate matter, Mahathir announced that the theme for National Day this year would be Sayangi Malaysiaku (Love My Malaysia). -Mkini