Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad isn’t the only one that possesses the common touch that relates so effortlessly with the rakyat: His wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, has gone viral since sporting what appears to be but a simple handbag yesterday while accompanying her husband to his first meeting with civil servants. Some sites are saying that it’s a Marie Claire bag that retails for just US$35 (RM145).
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If so, her simple, affordable choice stands in stark contrast to the exalted accessories generally beloved by former first lady, Rosmah Mansor.
Last Friday, police seized 72 suitcases stuffed with cash, watches and jewelry, as well as 284 boxes containing Hermes Birkin and Louis Vuitton handbags, in raids on properties linked to Najib.
While the total value of the former first lady’s bags is not yet known, it is widely suspected to supersede the extravagance of history’s former first lady of excess, Imelda Marco, i.e. we’re talking well into the millions of dollars, people.
While some are attributing Dr Siti Hasmah’s tote as being a Marie Claire bag that retails for RM145 and can be found on Zalora, we’re not so sure it’s the same one.
A similar, dark pink version is currently on their site, with the beige version sold out.
While we cannot confirm that this is the same bag that Dr Siti Hasmah wore yesterday (the straps are different), we currently have our senior Coconuts KL stylist on the hunt to find out which bag the first lady is wearing.
Her perceived modesty at a time when the prime minister has announced that the country is currently in 1 trillion ringgit of debt has been widely praised on social media.
Users have praised her choice, with one adding that “cheap things in the hands of good and decent people can look elegant, but expensive things in the hands of bad people make them look cheap and old.”
Catty, but we couldn’t agree more.
While the value of the bag has not been confirmed, here’s to hoping that Mahathir and his wife start a trend of modesty in their public displays of wealth, one that hopefully extends to all levels of government. Remember, a politician is a civil servant, here to serve the country and its people, not the other way around.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article stated that the bag was from the brand Marie Claire. On further inspection, we cannot confirm the bag’s provenance. We’ll update the story when we’re certain.
