Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the recognition was given to Malaysia, which as a Muslim country or member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), has among the best policies, strategies and implementation of programmes in education, early education and child care, women's development and welfare.
He said among the overseas trips made by the prime minister's wife was for presenting a keynote address at the Women's Leadership Seminar in Dubai and Asean Women Leaders Forum in Singapore in 2009 and the 1st International Conference of Total Quality Management in K-12 Education, at the invitation of Saudi Arabia's Deputy Education Minister, in Riyadh in January this year.
"She (Rosmah) also received invitations from the Social Development Minister of Oman to visit Muscat and from the patron of the Asian University for Women, Cherie Blair, to deliver a keynote address at the 'Symposium for Imagining Another Future for Asia: Ideas and Pathways for Change' in Dhaka, Bangladesh, also in January," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak).
Tajuddin wanted to know the role and contribution of the prime minister's wife through her series of visits overseas.
To a supplementary question from Tajuddin on the government's respone to the negative perception of certain quarters, including the opposition, on these visits, Nazri said all the criticisms and accusations would be replied to in the Dewan Rakyat.
To a question from Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS-Rantau Panjang) on the jurisdiction of the prime minister's wife who was said to have interfered in state matters, including the statement made on the tsunami in Japan, Nazri refuted this.
"Who said this? It's a lie and a baseless accusation. I want Rantau Panjang to mention the specific cases where there are interference (by the prime minister's wife) in state matters.
"Besides that, we need to read the whole statement by the prime minister's wife (on the tsunami) and not just parts of it, and then make all kinds of allegations (against her)," he said.
