While Najib dozes at CHOGM, daughter creates a stir with lavish shopping

P
rime Minister Najib Razak may have left Perth, Australia for Mecca, where he is due to perform the Umrah prayers to cleanse himself and to atone to God before focusing on the 13th general elections.

But Australians, especially the Perth retailers, sure remember him and his family during their latest visit there for CHOGM meeting.

Despite raging debate at the summit, with former Malaysian premier Abdullah Badawi heatedly championing a common stand amongst Commonwealth nations to prevent abuse of human rights, the placid Najib still managed to steal his own thunder.

Over the weekend, Najib was snapped dozing off in the middle of a speech by another head of government. The picture was flashed all around cyberspace and created much rude laughter in Malaysia.

Daughter comes to the fore

Then his daughter was spotted spending AUD60,000 or about RM200,000 at David Jones, an average department store in Australia.

Obviously, Malaysians - many of whom have studied in states in Melbourne, Perth and New South Wales - are wondering what she could have found to buy worth so much at David Jones, considering that she has the option to shop in London, France and Monte Carlo!

An excerpt of the news clipping reads as follows.

Gathering for the Commonwealth summit has been an opportunity for a shopping spree and sightseeing around Perth for many delegates and visitors.

A few city retailers reaped the rewards, with one first lady known to have bought AUD150,000 worth of WA pearls while the daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's daughter is believed to have spent AUD60,000 in David Jones.

What would his dad say?

The newspaper didn't name the first lady nor Najib's daughter. He has two, but the elder one from a previous marriage seldom accompanies him and Rosmah, who is his second wife.

It is also not impossible that Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor could be that first lady. For sure, all eyes will be on what she wears around her neck when she returns. However, those who follow her fashion likes and dislikes say AUD150,000 would be a mere trinket for Rosmah, known to go for jewellery worth dozens of millions.

Indeed, she has been in the scandal sheets over a huge blue diamong ring said to be worth USD24.4 million, so the pearl necklace mentioned in the Aussie daily would be a paltry sum not worth mentioning to the Najibs, who are now fabulously rich.

Najib himself, despite being the eldest son of the second prime minister and being born into a privileged background, never experienced such wealth before in his own youth.

Abdul Razak Hussein, a dour looking man, was known for his serious character and race championing activities rather than for the reckless spending by the female members in his family.

The Kazakh connection

The daughter who blew AUD60,000 is likely to be Nooryana, who recently got engaged to a relative of another rich-beyond-imagination political family - the Nazarbayevs of Kazakhstan.

President Nazarbayev has an international reputation of being a despot who rules his oil-rich state with a fist of iron. With her fiancee's wealth behind her, Nooryana may not be spending her mum and dad's money but the Nazarbayevs!

Coincidentally, this is not the first time the Najibs have been caught splashing their wealth in Perth. On August 31, Najib sneaked away for a quickie-holiday with his family on Independence or Merdeka Day without informing the nation.

He was grilled in Parliament for his irresponsible act and taken to task for abusing public money and using the government's private jet to ferry himself and guests to the holiday rendezvous.