Is Rosmah patron of orphan charity foundation, asks Akmal Nasir

National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) director Akmal Nasir today asked whether the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, was the patron of Putrajaya's Yayasan Pembangunan Anak Yatim/Miskin (Pemangkin), a charity foundation for orphans. He said he had unearthed a July 27, 2009 Utusan news report revealing that Rosmah was appointed patron of Pemangkin during the launch of the foundation, which Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom also attended. He said Islamic charity foundation Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (Yapeim), which is under Jamil Khir's purview, had made the biggest donation to Pemangkin – RM4 million. It also received donations from the public through a text messaging service called Skim Sumbangan Amal Jariah untuk Pembangunan Anak-anak Yatim dan Miskin (Charity Drive for the Development of Orphans and the Poor). "This raises several questions which Datuk Seri Jamil Khir must answer, such as, was Rosmah really appointed the patron of a charity foundation for orphans and the poor?" said Akmal in a statement. "Why was Rosmah appointed the patron of a charity foundation for orphans and the poor? "Was Pemangkin truly set up as an effort to address the problems of orphans and the poor? "What is the rationale behind Pemangkin's involvement in organising a marriage and family course abroad? "How many orphans and poor would Pemangkin have been able to help if Yapeim's funds were not wasted on overseas programmes, and were instead used for charity for the orphans and the poor?" Jamil Khir has threatened to sue Akmal for alleging that he had used Yapeim's funds to pay for a trip to the US, taken together with his wife. In a letter of demand, the minister in charge of religious affairs asked that Akmal tender a verbal and written apology in two days, withdraw his statement and to pledge not to issue more statements related to the minister's integrity. Jamil Khir also demanded compensation of RM10 million "over the slanders and mischievous and false accusations against him", Bernama reported. Should Akmal fail to respond in two days, legal firm Adnan Sharida & Associates will proceed with legal action against him. Akmal earlier today defended his exposes against Jamil Khir and Yapeim, saying he was only trying to stop any wrongdoing in the government. – November 17, 2015.