Couple appears upbeat, with this being Rosmah’s first appearance in public since images of seized luxury items linked to her went public.
Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor arrived in Pekan today, the couple’s first visit to the former prime minister’s constituency since Barisan Nasional’s (BN) defeat on May 9.
Najib was dressed in a dark blue shirt, while Rosmah wore a yellow flowery baju kurung and a yellow selendang (scarf).
It is Rosmah’s first public appearance since the police started conducting searches on her residence and premises linked to her and Najib that led to the seizure of cash and luxury items worth millions of ringgit.
They arrived at the official residence of Seri Kenangan at about 12.15pm, some three hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur in a white Toyota Vellfire at 9.20am today.
His convoy, which was escorted by police outriders, included three other cars but its passengers are not known.
“The people want me to come back,” said Najib, who has been the Pekan MP for four decades.
“They want to show their appreciation, and continue to support me for all the things I have done. They want me to continue serve them as an MP. So I’m glad to be back,” Najib was heard telling reporters in a Facebook Live video by Sin Chew Daily, but declined to take further questions.
Earlier in the morning, some 50 Puteri Umno members visited him at his house.
Meanwhile, Najib posted a picture today of him receiving a blood pressure test at his home and said he expects more challenges ahead.
“Undergoing a routine check-up last night. Everything was normal. In this Ramadan month, we will surely be tested by all kinds of ordeals. May we always have Allah’s protection and providence,” he wrote on Twitter.
In an exclusive interview with the Malay Mail yesterday, Rosmah said she bore no grudges against former allies who turned on her and Najib following BN’s GE14 defeat.
Some BN leaders such as Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin appeared to blame Najib for the defeat, claiming they did not dare speak out for fear of reprisals.
Described as at ease in her yellow, flowing kaftan and reading glasses, she recounted a life spent in the limelight and said she hoped their troubles will soon be over.
“It’s normal in politics. When you’re up, everybody adores us, but when you have problem, it is expected. It is just part and parcel of life.”
“I don’t mind. It’s OK. Everybody has got their right about what they want to say,” she was quoted saying.
Apparently, appearing upbeat, she expressed the hope of soon returning to a normal life with her family.
“We are taking it quite well. I think we’re quite relaxed, being a family of politicians. This is just one of those trials and tribulations, hazards of being in politics,” Rosmah was quoted as saying.
It was reported that she was accompanied by her lawyers, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent and M Puravalen, and several close aides throughout the interview.
“It’s another life, but I’m not complaining. I’m not asking for this kind of life, but it’s a much more relaxed life when I can do my thing. When I feel like sleeping, I can sleep when I feel like waking up, I can wake up.
“But I would like this to be over as soon as possible because we want to move on with our lives,” she was quoted saying.
She also asked that the police treat her and her family with the courtesy to which they were entitled as Malaysians.
“I can take all that pre-dawn raids. I understand.
“I believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Otherwise, we have to be treated like normal human beings. The right to dignity.”