'Sugar-mummy' or not, Jho Low reignites rage over Rosmah's spending

Malaysian 'boy tycoon' Jho Low's recent denial that First Lady Rosmah Mansor was not his "mak angkat" or fairy godmother or sugar-mummy has stirred fresh discontent amongst the Malaysian public, who are upset at their showy and extravagant lifestyle.

Struggling against high prices and a fast-souring economy, the Malaysian masses have been less than pleased at the way Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife have cavorted in the playgrounds of the super-rich and famous, from Monte Carlo to Dubai and New York.

"Najib came from a rich family and he doesn't know the people's struggle. That is why lavishness is part of his life," Keadilandaily reported PKR MP for Indera Mahkota Azan Ismail as saying.

I introduce a lot of investors, that's why I always meet the PM

Azan wants the Auditor General to probe the first couple's spending sprees which have been frequently reported in the press. But despite a slew of complaints made to the police and the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission, the authorities have chosen to turn a blind eye. Even when a RM24.4 million gargantuan diamond ring that Rosmah purportedly ordered from New York was backed up by screenshots of the importation details in the Customs Department's database.

It did not help either when news was recently splashed all over the New York media that Jho may have bought a USD31million mega-luxury penthouse for Rosmah's use at the Time Warner Centre. According to the New York Post, the 29-year old Jho paid more than USD6,400 per square foot for the sky-high unit measuring 4,825 square feet in size.

And perhaps aware of the public's unhappiness over such in-your-face lavishness, Jho, who went to school with Rosmah's son from her first marriage, was quick to tell the Chinese press in a recent interview that she was just "one of my good friiends" and not his sugar-mummy or fairy godmother.

"I knew the children of the Prime Minister first, before I knew the prime minister. I introduce a lot of investors to Malaysia, that’s why I always meet with the prime minister,” Merdeka Review reported Jho as saying.

The Penangite was involved in setting up the RM10 billion Terengganu Investment Authority, which was later revamped into the RM15 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad as well UBG, a former banking arm controlled by corruption-tainted Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud. Opposition Leader Anwr Ibrahim has descibed 1MDB which is involved in the controversial redevelopment of the military airport in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, as Najib's political "slush fund".

Same extravagance at Putrajaya

And over in Putrajaya, the administrative capital, the wastage and extravagance has continued despite all-out efforts by Najib to show that he is a man of the people. At a recent cycle-for-charity event in Penang, Najib took pains to tell of how he used to ride to his favorite 'nasi lemak' stall in Tanglin for breakfast.

But according to PKR's Azan, if he truly emphathised with the people he would realize how the exponential jump in the prices of breakfast 'nasi lemak' were hurting the ordinary workers, who have not seen any pay increment in years. Far less does it explain why Najib has decided to pour hundreds of millions into refurbishing and renovating his still-new official residence - Sri Perdana.

"RM200 million were spent to build the residence and why in the end, it is still rented from Putrajaya Holdings is a mystery. Maintenance for electricity and water should not be more than 10% of the actual cost of the building. But this is is RM10 million a year, an unreasonable figure," said Azan.

According to Azan, the cost of maintaining both Najib's and his deputy's official residences came up to RM50 million a year. A rare written reply from the Prime Minister's office in June showed that as much as RM48.8 million was spent on Sri Perdana, and this included rental fees, repair, electricity and water bills. The rental for both the residences was stated at RM33 million, while the maintenance was RM3.6 million.

More shockingly, the electricity bill of the Prime Minister and his deputy was RM10 million, while the water bill hit RM1.9 million for the same year. By comparison, Najib's predecessor Abdullah Badawi only spent around RM4.15 million on Sri Perdana in 2008, while RM2.74 million was spent on Seri Satria, the DPM's residence.

Pouring hundreds of millions into rented properties

And to crown the farcical charges, both residences are owned by Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd. In other words, the Malaysian government is pouring hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money into properties that do not belong to it.

PAS MP for Kota Raja, Dr Mariah Mahmud, had raised the issue in Parliament but until now, Najib has failed to provide any answers.

"After we did the press conference, none of the relevant parties got back to us to explain why the cost is so high as if the issue is being swept inder the carpet. That is the reality of the administration when on the other hand, Najib is telling the people to cut on spending," said Mariah.

She had also questioned why the government needed to rent from Putrajaya Holdings.

"As far as we know, Putrajaya is rented, meaning the government has a monthly commitment because the properties there are not the government's assets. If a long-term cost analysis is done, I think the government is making a financial loss," said Mariah.

Malaysia Chronicle