Rosmah sheds tears with passengers' families

Prime Minister's wife Rosmah Mansor today offered a shoulder to cry on to the families of the passengers of MH370, which has yet to be located more than 36 hours since it went missing.

Rosmah, clad in a blue baju kurung and matching headscarf, comforted the families at Everly Hotel, Putrajaya. Families have been asked to wait for news here today, instead of a holding area at KLIA.

Only Bernama and RTM photographers and videographers were allowed to record the visit, but footage sighted by Malaysiakini showed the PM's wife crying with a woman, who is believed to be a passenger's next-of-kin.

While Rosmah declined to speak to media, one man stepped out of the area where the families were waiting to vent his unhappiness over her presence.

Tensions ran high when Malaysia Airlines (MAS) staff stopped media from entering the area where the family was held, to confirm the man's name.

The man was then seen confronting MAS staff on whether MAS was trying to censor media, but was told it was to ensure others waiting in the area will not be distressed by media attention.

News and pictures of Rosmah's “surprise visit” also made it onto pro-Umno blogs, with some questioning why Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is not doing the same.

Wan Azizah  was also chided for announcing her candidacy in the Kajang by-election today in place of her husband who became not qualified after convicted and sentenced to five years jail for sodomy last Friday.

“Husband and wife, Anwar Ibrahim and Wan Azizah, both prefer politicking for the sake of their own family. The rakyat are pushed aside!” blogger Khairul Ryezal wrote.

Earlier Bernama reported that Rosmah and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak were supposed to meet families at dawn today, as families were informed to be prepared to fly out to an “undisclosed location” by 9 am.

The national newswire also reported that Rosmah told a women's convention yesterday that the news made her knees go weak.

She also called for everone to pray for the best outcome for the crew and passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlies Boeing 777-200 carrier, which disappeared from radar at 1.30am on Mar 8.

“Rosmah said that shortly after learning of the news at about 8am, she had immediately contacted the prime minister...who was in Janda Baik with other Umno leaders,” it reported.

Malaysia Airlines called its first press conference on the matter at 10.30am while PM Najib chaired another press conference to provide updates at about 7pm.

Malaysiakini