PETALING JAYA: A PAS leader has defended her decision to use a Louis Vuitton (LV) handbag after facing criticism for her recent comments on Malaysians allegedly suffering from hunger due to a local rice shortage under the Madani government.
The party’s Malacca women’s wing information chief Hawa Yaakub took to X to justify the matter after a parody account posted a photo of her with the luxury handbag, sarcastically claiming she had “offered to sell the bag to help affected Malaysians”.
In a post on X, Hawa questioned how long government supporters would continue to “respond” to every issue raised by referring to the handbag, which retails at RM90,000.
“How many more years are you going to address every issue with LV? Diesel price hikes – LV, people dying of hunger – LV, shortage of local rice – LV, Blackrock – LV, afterparty – LV, Tiger beer – LV. Please come up with other ideas. At least let your allowance be worth it.
“Most important is that the person who bought it did not use taxpayers’ money,” said Hawa, who is the founder of Soha Barakah Wealth Consultancy, a financial management company in Ayer Keroh.
On Aug 30, PAS clarified that it is true that the handbag belongs to Hawa, but its price is not in the hundreds of thousands of ringgit as circulated on social media.
“The handbag is not the latest edition and was purchased at a price of RM90,000 only. The party wishes to state its stance that we stand firmly with Hawa on the grounds that owning the handbag complies fully with the requirements of Islamic law.
“It is not made from the skin of impure animals prohibited by Islam and (we) would like to remind those who are eager to play up this issue of a hadith that says: ‘Indeed, Allah is beautiful and loves beauty’,” the party said in a statement.
A teacher in Ipoh, Fazliwati Ramli, 50,
said there is no issue if the handbag was purchased with personal funds, although PAS should provide guidance to its leaders on maintaining a modest image.
“Emphasising the Islamic principle of moderation, the party should advise its leaders against overt displays of wealth. This approach would help align their public image with the values they advocate,” she said.
Civil servant at a local council Suhirley Arfiza Khalil, 50, said as a public representative, the leader needs to be mindful of when and where it is appropriate to display her handbag and should not link the issue of her handbag to unrelated matters.
She said leaders need to adopt a perspective that aligns with the party’s direction rather than making statements that could be perceived as an attempt to justify
the situation.
“A handbag is just a handbag and whether it’s expensive or not, she must accept criticism if the public feels it’s inappropriate.
“I understand that being a woman, she too may have a desire to use a luxury bag and if she can afford it, that’s her personal choice. However, she should be aware of how such choices reflect on her public role and the party’s image,” she said.
Corporate marketing department officer for a private company Vimely Murugaiah, 26, said for prominent figures, their choices of having luxury items might not directly affect the financial struggles of regular people.
She said pointing out the contrast between luxury goods and the everyday struggles of people shows the gap between leaders and the public’s reality.
“They might view luxury goods as part of their image or a way to express themselves. Instead of deflecting criticism with luxury references, it is more effective for leaders to directly confront more pressing issues such as rising fuel prices, food shortages and economic struggles.”
