A directory listing for six officers assigned to the First Lady of Malaysia (FLOM) was removed to avoid confusion, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz told the House.

"This was done when the website of the PM's Department and directory were updated," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

rosmah mansor He was replying a supplementary question by Anthony Loke (DAP-Rasah) as to why there was a listing if no such division had been set up.

However, Nazri reiterated his parliamentary answer last December, that the 'division' was never a part of the PM's Department but simply a listing of officers seconded to help Rosmah Mansor ( right ) with her duties as the PM's wife.

"There are no contract or permanent staff assigned specifically to the premier's spouse.

"Instead, officers from the department, from time to time, are assigned to assist her in handling correspondence and invitations to national and international events.

As they are already employed at the PM's Department, "no extra costs are involved".

RM135,000 for trips abroad

The PM’s Department had revealed yesterday that close to RM135,000 of public funds had been spent on Rosmah's visits to three Middle East countries earlier this year.

In a written reply to DAP’s Rasah parliamentarian Anthony Loke, Nazri said these were official visits in response to invitations from the countries concerned.

The three visits were to:

1. Riyadh Saudi Arabia from Jan 6-10 on the invitation of the Saudi deputy education minister, to deliver the keynote address at the inagural International Seminar on K-12 Quality Education Management;

2. Muscat, Oman, from Jan 16-18 on the invitation of the social development minister; and

3. Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Jan 20 at the invitation of Cherie Blair, patron of the Asian University for Women, to deliver the keynote address at the ‘Rethinking the Future of Asia: Ideas and the Way for Change’ symposium.

However, Rosmah had told Bernama in a Jan 25 interview that her visit to Oman was fully funded by the government of that country.

The opposition has taken potshots at Rosmah after it emerged that she had made extended trips at taxpayers’ expense, including a stay at the expensive Burj Arab in Dubai. She and the government have defended this.

Much adverse comment has also been made about the ‘First Lady’ mantle, given that no such title has ever been used in Malaysia.