PM slammed over daughter's 'RM200,000 shopping spree'

While allegations over Rosmah Mansor’s RM24 million ring have yet to subside, detractors of  Najib Abdul Razak have now trained their sights on the prime minister’s daughter.

This follows a news item in what appeared to be from the West Australian newspaper, reporting that a woman said to be the prime minister’s daughter had allegedly spent A$60,000 (RM195,000) during a shopping spree at David Jones, a major departmental store in Australia.

The veracity of the report is unconfirmed. But a copy of the small news clipping - without the date and masthead - has made its way to Malaysian shores, with opposition bloggers and PKR news portal Keadilan Daily  picking it up.

The report, titled ‘Delegates go shopping and sightseeing’, has also appeared on many Facebook pages.

Former PKR central committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who is popularly known as Chegubard, had commented on his blog that while the people at home are still coping with rising prices, the politicians and their children are spending lavishly overseas.

“The people are facing hardships due to the rising costs. This regime has failed to address the rising costs and at the same time it had introduced new laws to possibly introduce taxes which will burden the public further.

“While the allegations into the RM24.45 million ring have yet to be answered, there is apparently a report in the West Australian newspaper of extreme spending by Najib and Rosmah’s daughter.”

Unnamed daughter and first lady

The unnamed daughter was with her parents who were attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting which was held in Perth, Western Australia.

Keadilan Daily also picked up the report and cited that she was in the delegation that included Deputy Information, Communication and Culture Minister Maglin Dennis D’Cruz, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Mashitah Ibrahim and PPP president M Kayveas.

The opposition online portal also claimed that traders made a huge profit when an unnamed first lady had spent A$150,000 (RM487,000) on Western Australian pearls, while ‘Najib’s daughter’ spent A$60,000.

It quoted state director for CHOGM Richard Muirhead as saying that leisure activities were arranged for the foreign dignitaries outside the tight CHOGM itinerary.