Malaysians can hold their heads high after May 9, says Siti Hasmah

INTERVIEW | Before the 14th general election, many Pakatan Harapan leaders came out to say that Malaysians overseas were embarrassed to admit where they were from, because of the many scandals plaguing the country.

But according to Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysians can now be proud of their country once again after the May 9 general election.

“Globally, people admire Malaysia at this point in time, how the people came around.

“Even non-Malaysians overseas were shouting with our Malaysians when we won the election because they felt so elated.

“Now we can hold our heads high,” a beaming Siti Hasmah said during an interview with Malaysiakini at the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

She pointed to the donation drive initiated by the rakyat after the new Harapan government announced that the country’s debts and liabilities totalled nearly RM1 trillion.

This eventually became the basis for Tabung Harapan Malaysia.

Ordinary citizens were even writing letters to Mahathir with money attached, she revealed.

“They attached RM10, RM50, RM100 to their letters to help pay the debts. Where would you get this in any other part of the world?” she asked.

Asked whether her family had donated to the Tabung Harapan, Siti Hasmah initially said with a coy smile, “I won’t tell you.”

Then she laughed and said, “Definitely.”

“But the people, right? It’s so amazing. Of course there were people against it, right? Asking, ‘Why should the people pay the debts?’

“Why should they complain now, why didn’t they complain back then?”

As of 3pm yesterday, the Tabung Harapan (Hope Fund) had collected a staggering RM35,772,017.10.

 

Proud of first woman DPM

Malaysians can also be proud of having the country’s first woman deputy prime minister in Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Siti Hasmah said.

She added that Wan Azizah is very capable, as she is also a doctor, like Mahathir and herself.

“She is an ophthalmologist, so she should have good vision for the future,” Siti Hasmah joked.

Siti Hasmah stressed that women are just as capable of becoming leaders as men, but urged them to obtain all the necessary qualifications and focus on helping people, since they have to be role models for other women.

“They must get the highest qualification possible to get a good job to be an example to other women, that they can do it with their own effort.

“They must be cekap, bersih, beramanah, bermaruah (efficient, clean, trustworthy and dignified).

“We have a lot of women in Malaysia who have that quality to go forward, get educated and help to run the country,” Siti Hasmah said. -Mkini