Najib's chocolate a sellout at Umno AGM, Mahathir's a close contender

Chocolates and perfumes bearing the face of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak are a sellout in the Umno general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur.

A check by Malaysiakini showed that products with Dr Mahathir Mohamad's face are also faring well, compared to others.

Norsiah Ahiddin, a salesperson for Ryverra Chocolate & Confectionery Sdn Bhd, said chocolates bearing Mahathir's face were the second best selling, after Najib's.

"This is the fourth day (of sales) and the reception has been extraordinary, we have run out of stock, especially for chocolates with PM Najib Razak's face.

"(Chocolates of Dr) Mahathir is not far behind, with some 800 units sold so far. As for flavours, Najib's is pure chocolate, while Mahathir's is chocolate with nuts," she said, adding that the chocolates are sold at RM10 for six packs.

Najib chocs popularity may be due to taste

However, she said that chocolates with Najib's face selling the best may have little to do with the visitors' admiration for the current Umno president, and more to do with flavours.

"Many visitors do not like nuts, or are allergic to nuts, so they will choose flavours without nuts," she said when met at her stall on the third floor of PWTC.

Apart from pure chocolate and with nuts, the other flavours on the menu are hazelnut, mocha, raisin, and dark chocolate.

The chocolates are sold exclusively to visitors to PWTC for the Umno AGM and are not sold outside.

Those who are not sweet-toothed can opt to have their Umno leaders' images immortalised in perfume packaging, courtesy of Hasy Eau De Parfum.

"During this AGM, we sell perfumes with seven types of fragrances, adorned with the faces of seven party presidents, as well as the three presidents and their kin.

"We usually sell products with faces of seven party presidents, but this time, we have boxes adorned with the faces of Najib and his father (Razak Hussein), (Umno vice-president) Hishammuddin (Hussein) with his father Hussein (Onn) and (Youth chief) Khairy Jamaluddin with his father-in-law (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi)," Hafizan Hassan told Malaysiakini.

According to him, immortalising the faces of Umno leaders on his products are a way to appreciate their services and sacrifices to the party and the Malay community.

"With the packaging, we would like to remind Umno members that their leaders are always with them, and to always cherish their deeds and give them support."

The perfumes are sold at RM35 each for a box containing the face of a single leader while the combination box goes for RM70 each.

Hafizan said the response has been lukewarm for perfumes bearing Mahathir's face, probably reflective of Umno members' perception towards the former party president now.

"We only release 1,000 units for each type of perfume and so far, the one bearing the face of Najib and father, has been the best selling, with only about 200 units left," he said.

-Mkini