Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today rebutted criticism that he was out of touch due to his pricey quinoa diet, stressing that they were cheaper than the feed for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's horses.
Mahathir, who is also Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu chairperson, previously said he only ate local rice and mocked Najib for switching from rice to quinoa, which was around 20 times more expensive.
"Even my quinoa diet can become an issue. I still do eat nasi lemak and nasi vanggey.
"But did Mahathir think about his horse feed which is more expensive?
"A month's horse feed can buy me three years of quinoa. How many horses does Mahathir have?" Najib was quoted as saying by Sin Chew Daily.
Najib said this during a people's gathering with leaders in Negeri Sembilan today.
The prime minister was referring to claims that Mahathir owned a ranch in Argentina.
Najib had last Thursday, during a live Budget 2018 sharing session at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, revealed that he switched from rice to quinoa for his diet at his son's recommendation.
This prompted ridicule from opposition leaders who accused the prime minister of being out of touch as quinoa was significantly more expensive.
The controversy also spotlighted Najib's son Ashman's directorship in a quinoa company. -Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.