Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has certainly been busy. Especially since his appointment as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister. In fact, just yesterday (29th November), the esteemed Prime Minister held a meeting with the Sultan of Brunei.
While Anwar has been busy with his duties towards the country, netizens have also been busy finding reasons to criticise him! Their latest point of ire is apparently his expensive branded shoes. Well, the Prime Minister had an explanation for that!
Previously, Datuk Seri Anwar went viral when he publicly stated he would be attempting to reduce additional expenses made on his behalf. Additionally, he had supposedly refused to use the Mercedes S600 sedan which had been ordered by the previous PM. However, netizens recently ridiculed Anwar for going back on his word. Apparently, they had spotted him wearing branded loafers to work.
“(He) rejected S600 Mercedes, and wore Chapal (to work),” a netizen observed on Twitter. “Today, (he) upgraded to a pair of shoes worth (roughly) RM5,500.” However, Anwar directly responded to the Tweet last night. “It was a gift from the Sultan of Johor two years ago,” he explained. “Questioning me is fine. But, do not (share) a slanderous narrative.”
Some netizens were quick to back the new PM up. A few even advised him to take legal action. Others wondered why he was bothering to personally respond to such rumours. “Dato Seri should prove his leadership by helping the people, not (messing) with Twitter,” one scathingly stated.
This isn’t the first time Malaysian leaders have been questioned about their fashion statements. Previously, the Minister of Johor Datuk Onn Hafiz and former PM Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri were also questioned for wearing branded items previously.
We supposed there’s a fine line between dressing well for the job and being overdressed. However, as a netizen pointed out, action does speak louder than words. As such, only time will tell if Datuk Seri Anwar’s spending habits will be a point of contention with citizens. In the meantime, check out the new meme by political graphic artist Fahmi Reza here:
— Fahmi Reza (@kuasasiswa) November 30, 2022
Sources: Twitter, China Press
