ROSMAH Mansor told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that she was not sure if the wives of the previous prime ministers in the country, including her late mother-in-law Rahah Mohd Noah, used the First Lady of Malaysia (FLOM) title.

Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, however, said that she was active and led a busy life carrying the FLOM title.

She said this during a cross-examination conducted by Gopal Sri Ram, the lead prosecutor, during her corruption trial today.

Sri Ram: Your husband (Najib) became the prime minister in 2009. Before he became PM, were the wives of the previous PMs known as FLOM?

Rosmah: I did not notice. 

Sri Ram: Before Abdullah (Ahmad) Badawi and even before Tun M (Dr Mahathir Mohamad), their wives were not known as the First Lady of Malaysia?

Rosmah: I don’t know.

Sri Ram: Going back to Abdul Razak (Malaysia’s second PM), your mother in-law (Rahah) was never known as FLOM?

Rosmah: I don’t know because when she was his wife, I had not married Najib yet.

Rosmah married Najib in February 1987, while the latter’s mother died in December last year.

Rosmah, 69, is facing one charge of soliciting RM187.5 million in bribes and two charges of receiving RM6.5 million graft from Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former aide Rizal Mansor as a gratification to assist Jepak Holdings in securing the Integrated Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic System Project as well as Genset/Diesel Maintenance and Operation for 369 rural schools in Sarawak worth RM1.25 billion through direct negotiations from the Education Ministry.

Besides this, Rosmah also went on to claim that the previous wives of the prime ministers were not active as she was, and said that among other social initiatives, she was kept occupied by her brainchild, the National Pertama Programme (Permata), a nationwide initiative that was established during Najib’s tenure to help develop the skills and talents of gifted and disabled kids. 

“The wives of the previous Prime Ministers were not active.

“They didn’t have any prominent projects (under them) like Permata and they were seldom invited to give keynote addresses.

“However, when Najib was the PM, I led a very, very busy life,” she told the court.

The Permata programme has now been rebranded as Genius, which is under the purview of the Education Ministry. 

When questioned further, Rosmah said that the FLOM division was under the Prime Minister’s Department and said she played no part or had any role in the formation of the said division.

Sri Ram: You gave yourself the title of FLOM?

Rosmah: No.

Sri Ram: Who gave?

Rosmah: No one but it was established under the Prime Minister’s Department for administrative purposes. 

Sri Ram: Was there a department named FLOM under the Prime Minister’s Department?

Rosmah: I don’t know. Not my job. I don’t interfere in the administration of government matters. – October 7, 2021.