Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor should relinquish her position as the patron of Permata if she is unable to handle public scrutiny, said DAP state assemblyperson Yeo Bee Yin.

"Rosmah has time and again made herself sound like a victim of public scrutiny over the management of a government agency and taxpayers' monies.

"I would like to suggest her to resign as the patron of Permata if she can’t take the heat of scrutiny and meet the request for accountability and transparency," she added in a media statement.

She was responding to Rosmah who yesterday said she didn't take Permata's funds for herself and urged the public not to politicise the early childhood programme.

The Damansara Utama assemblyperson said that seeking clarification about a government agency funded by taxpayers' money is not "politicising" the matter.

"It is called public scrutiny and accountability.

"She seems to forget that the public funds used by Permata is from all the hardworking Malaysians who pay their hard-earned monies as taxes to Putrajaya.

“Hence, Malaysians have every right to scrutinise how Permata programmes are run," she added.

Conceding there is need to develop early childhood education in Malaysia, Yeo however asked if this warranted a separate agency under the Prime Minister's Department (PMD) with the prime minister's wife as its patron.

"Why does the wife of the prime minister, who is not elected by the people, have such a big role in government?" she questioned.

Yeo repeated the opposition's proposal for the programme to be parked under the respective full ministries which she said are better equipped and experienced in the relevant fields.

For example, she said under the Childcare Act 1984, the Social Welfare Department under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is the regulator for all childcare centres in Malaysia.

"Since the women's ministry is overseeing workplace childcare, community childcare and all other childcare centres, there is no reason that the Permata Negara programme not be parked under the women's ministry.

"Permata's other programmes also overlap with the roles of the Education Ministry as well as the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

"Therefore, if Rosmah really wishes for the best for the children of Malaysia, she should leave early childhood development to the ministries that have more expertise in running it," she added.