Addressing the annual meeting of the association of wives and members of the civil service (Puspanita), the wife of the prime minister recalled a conversation she had with Ali Hamsa, the Chief Secretary to the Government.
“Tan Sri asked me where I had come from (and) I said from my house in Taman Duta, Kuala Lumpur. Seri Perdana is next to this building, (and) if I live there, I can be here in two minutes.
“Because I live in Kuala Lumpur, (it takes me) 30 minutes to arrive. I seldom stay here, Tan Sri, because it’s nothing like your own home. This residence (Seri Perdana) is big but I feel more comfortable living in my own house in Taman Duta.”
Seri Perdana was built during the administration of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at the height of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
The cost of the residence became a campaign issue in the 1999 general election, one year after the sacking of then deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim from the Cabinet, an event that gave birth to the “reformasi” movement.
The opposition accused the government of spending nearly RM200 million on the residence, located on a 17-hectare site.
Rosmah also said it was easier to live in her own house as she did not like to move repeatedly.
“We women have a lot of things to take with us,” she added.
In her speech at the event, Rosmah said the status and achievements of Malaysian women were higher compared to those in other countries.
“The government led by Barisan Nasional is always caring and sensitive to issues concerning women and never sidelines them when formulating policies on development,” she said.
This is the second time this month that Rosmah has urged women to support the ruling coalition headed by her husband.
Last week, speaking at a Felcra organised event, she advised women land settlers to reject “opposition lies”.
“If they (opposition) talk nonsense, we close our ears. If they talk to our friends, we ask them to close their ears. Believe in the ability of BN to govern the country together,” she said.