“Walk my talk, not talk my walk”

J. D. Lovrenciear

Again, our prime minister’s wife is in the spotlight. This time around, and like always before, Rosmah is making heads turn for all the bad reasons.

The widely reported holiday-cum-shopping spree she indulged in is making its round both in the local and foreign circuit. This consistent portrayal of a free-spending-mama story is not and will not do any good for our ‘First Lady’; definitely not for her man-at-the-helm of national governance; and without doubt it will only keep eroding Malaysia’s public rating.

It really bazooka one’s mind when you take into account all the bad publicity that Rosmah has garnered for herself all these years. One then wonders why?

Why is it that she is the only spouse of any prime minister in the country’s entire history who has been raking in so much of mud-slinging? Surely, the ‘First Ladies’ of yester-years too have had holidays; surely they had shopping therapies; surely they too lived-off on the rakyat’s approval.

But how come they all never earned the wrath of the rakyat? Just take a look at the Tun Doctor himself. Despite growing local and global attacks on him for all his misdeeds – as can be accessed from the media bashing, not a single pebble has been thrown at his devoted wife. None to this day.

But why is it not the same with Rosmah who is now widely referred to at the warongs as ‘Big Mama’?

It appears that there is only one way to explain all of this. The world has not forgotten the ’Sins of Imelda’. And the world will not forgive such sins that easily either.

Then the situation begs another question: Why can’t the prime minister and his wife set the example by walking the talk instead of letting the talking of their walk torpedo?

In the first place, here is a prime minister who is preaching and cajoling the rakyat to strive after moderation. Here is a leader telling his people to tighten their belts and get ready for hard times ahead.

Then why can’t he and his wife spend a well deserved holiday in Langkawi and go shopping at Times Square instead of splashing in Australia?

Then why can’t Rosmah while holidaying in Langkawi, organize a Charity Sale of her expiring wardrobe collections and donate that money to the orphans? Instead she chose to spend the reported RM300,000 to create another new range in her wardrobe.

She already has a diamond ring fiasco and an animal skin handbag to boot, which is still fresh in the hearts of the rakyat. Why get into more seemingly ‘Sinful-Imelda’ dramas again and again?

Are the rakyat so mean to have to only target her all the time? Are the opposition leaders so vain and bankrupt that they are the ones alleged to be behind all these smearing?

Can anyone out there please help solve this stigma-puzzle?

Indeed Malaysia’s image and reputation has been battered by so many reports about Rosmah. It is leaving the rakyat without much choice but to now have to merely talk the First Couple’s walk in view of their zerorized 'walk the talk'.