A woman of substance vs a substantial woman

by uppercaise

A woman of a different kind of substance

What difference does it make how that woman is called? Or as a Malaysiakini reader asked, “By calling Rosmah the First Lady, will it make Malaysians a cent poorer?” Another remarked, “Tian Chua, don’t you have better things to ask in Parliament? …now you ask silly questions that are of no national importance.”

But it is important. The question must be asked, for the answer as well as how it is answered. Because it is a question of maruah — the dignity of the nation, the dignity of royal office, the dignity of public service.

In the way he replied in Parliament and the waffling non-answer he gave the House, the prime minister put his wife and himself above his office. Above the constitution.

Put aside the personalities, put aside the parties. As a nation, we have a system in place. We have a constitutional monarchy. You don’t like royalty? Makes no difference. That’s the system we have. We have a parliamentary system. That means a prime minister, a member of Parliament appointed to office by the King. We do not have a presidential system. The prime minister holds office because he is an MP. His wife is not. She holds no office. There is no courtesy title of “first lady”. Rosmah wants a presidential system? It is not her place to make any such demands. She simply has no such rights.

The wife of Japan’s new PM feels the same way.Straight-talking PM’s wife rejects First Lady tag.

Does the wife of your company’s MD come to the office and give orders to the executive staff? Does she order your company’s financial controller to put aside money for her projects? Does she get your office staff to do work for her? Does she tell the board of directors what to do? Does she get your company’s security guards to tail her husband and check on his girlfriends? Are you all required to address her as the managing lady?

Or will you say Oi, bugger off, not your granfadder company la

Same thing here. Malaysia’s political leadership wants the people to respect the system and to respect the monarchical system. Why then doesn’t the prime minister and his wife do the same? Why should we allow her to arrogate to herself a position that does not exist? Why allow her to usurp powers that she should not have? And why doesn’t the prime minister stop her? She should be charged with lesé majeste and corrupting the office of prime minister.

This is not about a woman and her huge ego. It’s about the system, and how it should work. If a woman who has no position and holds no office can subvert the system over a trifling matter of a non-existent title — what does it tell you about the rest of the system, where your ringgit and sen are at stake? Can you have still faith in the system any more? Will you be richer or poorer?

Read more at: http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2010/06/19/a-woman-of-substance/