Monday, April 05, 2010

Nurul Izzah slams Rosmah's 'insincere' offer


Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has issued a challenge to first lady Rosmah Mansor to build a Pusat Permata Negara (PERMATA) centre in Hulu Selangor even if PKR wins the by-election.

Rosmah, who is Permata policy executive committee chairman, said that a PERMATA centre had been planned for the district to provide opportunities for rural children to receive a good education.

She also claimed that the plans have been temporarily derailed following difficulties in acquiring land and securing a suitable premise.

Utusan Malaysia, however, reported that Rosmah only planned to set up the centre if BN won the Hulu Selangor seat. This has led to Nurul Izzah slamming the plan as 'insincere' and 'a clear sham'.

“Benefits aside, the mere fact that it's tied to BN's win smacks of political meddling,” she told FMT.

“Its disgraceful when politics seeps into early childhood education. I challenge the first lady to put words into action instead of strategically mentioning this plan just weeks before the by-election.”

“PERMATA has been allocated RM20 million to provide early education facilities and aid to all districts. It shouldn't be manipulated as a means to political victory,” she said.

Rosmah had also said that the other options under consideration include using the Jabatan Kemajuan Masyaratkat (KEMAS) premise as a centre.

Nurul Izzah pointed out that this would be the obvious solution because the KEMAS premise had been recently upgraded.

“The first lady has cited unavailability of land as an impediment to setting up the centre when it already has a ready premise.

“The main issue here is securing a location not building a new one. I urge the government to put the children's welfare ahead of its political or personal gains,” Nurul Izzah said.

by FMT

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