…

On Saturday, 17 September 2016, Bernama reported that Rosmah was selected to be the recipient of Unesco’s award in conjunction with the 71st United Nations General Assembly.

It quoted Education Ministry secretary-general Alias Ahmad, who is also Malaysian National Commission for Unesco vice-president, that Rosmah would be conferred the award for her efforts in developing the potential of children, especially through the Permata programme.

…

23 September 2016

Unesco director-general Irina Bokova has sung praises for Malaysia’s education blueprint, which it said promotes tolerance, respect and mutual understanding.

“In this context, Permata, established upon the initiative of Rosmah Mansor, the First Lady of Malaysia, stands as an outstanding example of inclusion, reaching the most marginalised, through holistic approaches that start at the earliest age, promote values of peace, non-violence and respect for cultural diversity, and improve lifetime opportunities for children and youth,” Bokova said.

“Indeed, ‎under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the government of Malaysia has taken a firm stance against violent extremism through inclusion and education, which Unesco considers the most effective long-term prevention to forces threatening to divide societies,” she added.

This was said in a statement posted on Unesco’s website in conjunction with the launch of the Asia Society Center for Global Citizenship Education.

The statement was titled “The Malaysian Example – Partnering with Asia to Prevent Violent Extremism”.

The statement comes a day after Rosmah was supposed to receive the ‘Lead by Example’ award from the Antiquities Coalition, for Permata’s accomplishments.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/356754?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

…

22 September 2016

malaysiakini.com ‏@malaysiakini

Red faces over whether recipient is qualified for award or not

Stephen Ng

The wife of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was supposed to have received the ‘Lead by Example’ Award for her Permata programme.

Her name was, in fact, recommended by the Antiquities Coalition themselves, so for them to drop her name at the eleventh hour says something about international organisations who take their awards seriously. They cannot risk their own organisations being tainted, especially when an award is given to a wrong person.

A good example is when the University of Adelaide dropped the name of former Sarawak chief minister Taib Mahmud from its hall of fame, after objections were made by alumni over concerns that money donated to the university came from alleged illegal logging in Sarawak.

Therefore, I simply think that Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin president Ramesh Rao is out of his mind to even claim that the Antiquities Coalition is Jewish-based.

According to its website, the coalition is helmed by a number of prominent Muslim leaders including Dr Mohamed Ibrahim (former minister of antiquities) and Sameh Hassan Shoukry (Foreign Minister of Egypt).

Both Juan Zarate (Foundation for Defence of Democracies) and Irina Bokova (director-general of Unesco) were the other big names.

If not for Rao’s statement, I would not have taken the trouble to analyse further into this controversy to find out what is the truth. My question is: How could Rao allege that the Antiquities Coalition was involved in a plot to embarrass Rosmah on an international level when most Malaysians do not think that she is qualified to receive the award?
…

Therefore, the embarrassment is not the result of Rosmah’s name being dropped, but whether the recipient qualified for such an award or not.

And, MyKMU.net is promoting extremism by challenging Education Minister Mahadzir Khalid to suspend all Unesco Malaysia officers under the Education Ministry just because the coalition had asked to defer the award till 2017.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/356540?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

…

21 September 2016

A pro-BN NGO has cited a Jewish link in what it alleged to be a plot to embarrass Rosmah Mansor on an international level with regard to her being struck of the list of recipients for an award.

“Based on our checks, we found that the agency is Jewish-based and (the award) was purportedly (slated to be given to Rosmah) for her achievements in the Permata programme,” said Perubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin president Ramesh Rao in a statement.

Contacted later, Ramesh, however, declined to confirm he was referring to the Antiquities Coalition, but promised to reveal more details in future.

In his statement, the NGO said the Malaysian government was able to detect this plot beforehand, and praised the work of Permata in helping Malaysian children.

“This is the vile work of certain quarters who are envious of Malaysia’s success under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and the success of Permata envisioned by Rosmah,” he added.

Ramesh also refused to accept the explanation that Rosmah was removed from the list due to questions surrounding the funding of Permata.

He said there is definitely a hidden motive behind the issue.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/356410?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

…

20 September 2016

…

…

Rosmah Mansor and Permata have declined to receive the ‘Lead by Example’ award which has been deferred to next year.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Rosmah made the decision to avoid further distraction from the important work for the children of Malaysia.

On Sept 18, according to the PMO, Malaysia’s permanent representative to the United Nations received an email from Prof Tudor Parfit, who chairs the academic advisory board of the organising committee.

“Praffit stated the award would be deferred to 2017 because of what he called ‘interventions’ from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times regarding the funding of Permata,” it said.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/356327

…

MyKMU.net said the international advisory panel committee was forced to remove Permata from the list after questions were raised about its funding.

The committee, it pointed out, had no knowledge of any wrongdoing but at the same time, was had pressed for time and could not check Permata with regard to its funding.

“The media, especially the Western media, attempted to imply that the funding for Permata came from unverified channels, when the fact is Permata receives funding from the government under the Prime Minister’s Department,” it said.

The portal also provided a breakdown of the funding for Permata since 2013:

2013: RM20.59 million
2014: RM32.39 million
2015: RM34.46 million
2016: RM36.34 million

The funds, said MyKMU, allocated in the government’s annual budget were used to pay the salaries of staff, for services, purchasing of supplies and assets.

“So it is wrong to claim that Permata’s funding cannot be verified because government documents on the expenditure and other details have been tabled, are available in the public domain and can be accessed,” it added.

Therefore, the portal said it was not proper for certain quarters to launch baseless attacks against Rosmah and Permata.

The Permata programme, it noted, has brought much benefit for children, teenagers and children with disabilities as well as bright students.

“Certain quarters might find Rosmah’s exclusion from the award list as a victory or hilarious.

“The fact is, it is a loss for the nation and a victory for those who deliberately want to sabotage Malaysia as well as Permata,” it added.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/356264

…

Rosmah Mansor and Permata do not deserve to be embarrassed by the organisers of the “Lead by Example” award since the boo-boo is someone else’s doing.

By TK Chua

I read with bewilderment an award proposed for Rosmah Mansor, then Permata and then subsequently withdrawn altogether.

I am not here to comment on whether Rosmah is deserving of the award, neither am I sure of Permata’s merit. I have no credentials or information to assess Permata or its performance.

My comment is focussed on the series of reports that have unfolded from the day this award was first announced. I wonder who was responsible for causing so much ambiguity, confusion and embarrassment, not just to Rosmah, but also Permata and the country.
…

Can we see the baloney here? In the first place, who proposed that Rosmah or Permata be given the award if no proper background research was carried out first on Permata’s funding or its performance?

Second, how did the award giver then decide the award was to be withdrawn after the announcement had been made?

Third, how did Unesco come into the picture if the award had nothing to do with them, as claimed?

Fourth, who and what is the Antiquities Coalition? What has the Antiquities Coalition to do with childhood education in the third world? How often do they give awards and for what purpose?

I have no means of assessing whether international organisations are incompetent or indulging in national politics. However it does appear so.

I have no means of knowing whether there are local apple polishers who jumped the gun to announce this award. But again, it does appear so.

I agree Rosmah may be a controversial figure to many. However I do not think she and the country deserve this much of embarrassment if the fault is someone else’s.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2016/09/20/on-again-off-again-award-a-total-embarrassment/

…

19 September 2016

Rosmah Mansor, who was supposed to receive the ‘Lead by Example’ Award from the Antiquities Coalition, has been removed from the list of honourees.
…

Permata is the brainchild of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s wife, who also serves as its patron. She was slated to receive the award at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York on Thursday.

In an email to the media, Antiquities Coalition spokesperson Andy Beck said: “Contrary to erroneous reports, the event is not a Unesco event, nor is Unesco giving the award.”

Beck also shared a statement from Professor Tudor Parfitt, a British scholar, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and chair of the international academic advisory panel for the event.

“The committee recommended that Permata programmes receive recognition as they were seen to represent a model for potential imitation in other countries with diverse populations.

“The programme, which was founded in 2007 under the auspices of Rosmah Mansor, has already received recognition for its efforts to help deprived young people find employment and develop their potential,” said Parfitt.

Parfitt said following inaccurate leaks of the committee’s recommendations, the organisation had been quizzed by the media about the sources of funding for Permata.

He said as academics, the organisation had no immediate means of verifying funding for Permata, and was not aware of any specific wrongdoing.

“However, we do not wish this important event to be dominated by anything other than the issue of how to mobilise and unite people in the fight against violent extremism,” he said.

“The committee therefore decided it requires more time to review the comments that have been received, and has removed Permata from the list of Thursday’s honourees,” he added.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/356130

…