For Malaysians suffering from escalating food prices, prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak didn't have sympathy. He had a complaint.
Why is it, he asked, that people blame the government when prices go up, but they never give it credit when prices go down? For instance, he said, the price of "kangkung" (the Malaysian equivalent of spinach) has dropped. The remark went viral among the region's netizens, who are remixing his comments on YouTube and wearing t-shirts proclaiming, "Keep calm and eat kangkung." The BBC chimed in, "be careful what you say about spinach."
Najib initially tried to defend his remark. But after his economic czar was quoted as saying people should "stop eating chicken" if the prices are too high, Najib ordered mandatory media training for his mInisters. Courtesy The Malaysian Chronicle.