Rosmah goes Cyberspace

Technorati tags: Humor, Rosmah Mansor, Website Launch, Website Critique

Believe it or not, today Walski has a reason to celebrate. Finally, our tax dollars are being put to good use. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor finally gets her own website! At our expense! Woo-hey!

Apparently Michelle Obama’s got a White House page, too. So, of course, Rosmah, has to have one as well – we gotta keep up with the Americans, ‘natch! When it comes to websites and malls, of course, and not those evil concepts like civil liberties.

Bonus, by the way, if that PR comes in shades of fuchsia, by default. Or pink – Walski can’t really tell. But what’s more important is that for the first time in our nation’s history, we have a wife of the Prime Minister fully embedded in the Prime Minister’s Office, as an integral part of our Executive. Now we know why Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew simply had to meet with her during his visit.

What a team player!

Even better, we peasants citizens didn’t even have to vote her in! Well, technically, we didn’t vote her husband Najib in, either… but hey, those are just details only ungrateful derelicts would even begin to think about.

And the hair… just how did she manage to get such a gloriously puffy head of hair? We really hope that Rosmah will share her hair beauty tips with the rest of the nation… Hey, at least our PM’s wife has got bigger hair than Michelle.  
(a site chock full of future features, and more, in the full post)

So, you’re probably wondering, just why did Rosmah decide to get her own website, hosted on government IT infrastructure? Apart from keeping up with the Obamas. Well, don’t know about the “where it’s hosted” part, but The Star reports that it was done for “Malaysians to get to know her better in her role and duties as the Prime Minister’s wife”.

But why don’t we let Rosmah herself tell you – one of the neat features of her website is that it comes with voice clips accompanying the text on some of the webpages. How considerate of her, since there are probably many Malaysians who can’t read. The following clip is the audio version of her welcome message.

 
Click ► to play

What? Didn’t sound like you expected? If Rosmah sounded like a robot to you, it’s probably a problem with your speakers… Walski’s very sure she’s human and has a melodic voice. An excellent example of how the Internet is “used wisely” (via The Nut Graph), using embedded audio to enhance content.

Now, the nation can keep up with what Rosmah is up to every day – like how she attended a dinner with Koh Tsu Koon last Monday.

Not sure how that works into his KPI’s, but Walski’s sure that keeping the PM’s wife entertained is an important task in the best interest of the nation. You know, hell hath no fury and all that…

When news of the website launch hit the ‘Net, many who tried to access the site were disappointed – they simply couldn’t get in. Walski reckons that because the site is so important, accessing it sucked up extra bandwidth, simply due to the sheer gravity of Rosmah’s importance to the nation. At the time of posting, the site had already gotten about 27890 hits.

Another important feature is the lack of hyperlinks to icons displayed on the page (for instance, to BAKTI, the charity organization wives of ministers, deputy ministers & speakers of both legislative houses). Instead, what we have is a neat drop-down menu to select --- Others Link ---. More efficient that way, Walskis feel.

He hope that with Rosmah website launched, we all becoming more responsible Internet user. Our English may go to shit, but at least we’ll be more responsible.

As stated in the press report of the launch (via Bernama), we netizens need to “exercise wisdom in screening information in cyberspace and not to be easily influenced”. One way to set yourself straight, therefore, would be to visit Rosmah’s site to verify any evil rumors you may read online. Because everything you’ll find there will definitely be true.

The Bernama report also got Walski excited, knowing that many more features would be introduced over time.

"The website will be upgraded from time to time by adding new applications, like interactive and feedback, if there is such a request, she added.
(source: Bernama)

While, “interactive” and “feedback” aren’t applications, per se, there’s no denying that these features will add more zing to the website, in addition to the Others Link pull-down. In the meantime, you can send feedback via snail-mail.

But be sure that you write the address in ALL CAPS as shown at the bottom of the site. Your valuable feedback might not reach her otherwise.

Ahhh… happy day, happy day… Walski can already feel that certain tingling in his funny bone that Malaysia is well on her way to becoming a better place.

Thanks, Rosmah… you’re the best!