Malaysian PM mocked for eating costly quinoa

Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 23: Malaysia’s scandalplagued Prime Minister Najib Razak was accused of being out of touch with ordinary people on Friday after revealing he had switched from eating locally- grown rice to the pricey grain quinoa.

Opposition lawmakers lined up to mock the aristocratic premier, who is regularly attacked for leading a luxurious lifestyle at a time that many are complaining about rising living costs, with corruption allegations swirling around him.

Some Malaysian netizens simply responded with bemusement, admitting they had never heard of quinoa, a health food grown in South America that is popular in Europe and North America.

Najib, who must call elections by August and is battling allegations huge sums were looted from a state fund, made the remarks during a questionand- answer session at a hospital on Thursday about his government’s 2018 budget.

“I don’t eat rice. I eat quinoa... It’s proteinbased, less carbohydrate, less sugar content, so it’s better than rice,” he said, explaining he chose to keep fit by controlling his diet than exercising.

In the same session, he suggested Malaysians complaining about high living costs should be careful about where they choose to eat, and should avoid going to fancy Japanese restaurants and instead pick eateries offering local fare. Quinoa is sold at few shops in Malaysia and is expensive than rice.