More than a year after Malaysian authorities carted out hundreds of boxes of designer handbags and caches of expensive jewellery from her home, former self-styled ‘first lady of Malaysia’ Rosmah Mansor is once again the talk of the town, thanks to viral recordings of her ‘scolding’ her husband, erstwhile prime minister Najib Razak . Malaysian anti-corruption authorities this week released recordings of phone calls they say took place between Najib and various individuals linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad ( 1MDB ) global financial scandal, in which billions of dollars were siphoned out of a state wealth fund and spent on Hollywood films, star-studded parties, a superyacht and rare artwork. The authorities played nine recordings for the media during the briefing, but it is the one featuring Rosmah – a widely mocked figure in Malaysian politics for her rumoured profligate spending and control over her husband – that has captured the public imagination, with many Malaysians taking to social media to mock the duo, with the phrase “can I advise you something” being the most popular. In one call which allegedly took place in 2016 – the height of the scandal – a woman can be heard berating Najib for not taking matters into his own hands, saying loudly “Can I advise you something?” “You still don’t listen to me,” the female voice says, going on to say that an anti-corruption official who was sacked soon after was “looking like a hero and you, the villain”. “I don’t like this. Darling, you are the prime minister, you should take charge, not anybody else, OK?” she says. A man the authorities say is Najib meekly responds: “Yep, I understand.” “You’ve got goons around you,” she retorts, before advising him on how to manage and “settle” an unspecified matter. ‘Darling, you are the prime minister’: Malaysian authorities reveal Najib tapes On Twitter, @LeeroyTing said: “This proves that Malaysia indeed had our first female prime minister from 2009-2018”, while comedian @DrJasonLeong posted “Can I advise you something? The sentence above is grammatically incorrect. It should be: ‘F*** La, we are going to jail!’” Sticker emojis featuring Rosmah and Najib along with quotes from the recording have spread on WhatsApp and other chat applications, while memes mocking the former first couple have done the rounds on social media. The embattled Najib – on trial for over 40 charges of corruption and abuse of power – has tried to play down the recordings. “There is no scolding, conversations between my wife and I are private; you also speak to your wife, what’s wrong with that?” he told reporters on the sidelines of one of his trials on Wednesday, the day the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission played the recordings for the media. “Everyone can give their views, there is no problem, but I make the final decision,” said Najib when asked if Rosmah had been advising him on how to manage the country. During the trial, Najib told the court his wife had purchased jewellery worth 3.3 million ringgit (US$800,000) from an upscale Italian boutique, saying: “I have to check with my wife.” The recording and his recent remarks have fuelled a widely held perception that Rosmah held undue sway over Najib during his tenure as prime minister. Others suggest Rosmah is just easy to dislike and is a distraction from the bigger picture. ‘First lady’ to ‘bag lady’: why Rosmah Mansor’s Hermes Birkins caused a storm Sometimes referred to as Malaysia’s Imelda Marcos, whose shoe collection beggared belief, Rosmah’s large collection of handbags – 284 boxes were confiscated from her home in 2018 – prompted anger in a nation where many are grappling with the rising cost of living and a sluggish economy. Other items seized by police after Najib fell from power in 2018 following his shock loss in the general election included 2,200 rings, 1,400 necklaces, 14 tiaras, 423 watches, and 234 pairs of designer sunglasses. Rosmah’s vast collection of designer handbags and other seized luxury items are seen by many as a vulgar symbol of the former government’s detachment from grass roots issues, and a stark contrast to the economic woes and discontent over rising prices faced by Malaysians. A former bank executive, Rosmah has claimed that her lavish tastes were funded by her own savings, describing herself in a 2013 biography as a “naturally gifted accountant”. She also claimed many of her expensive accessories were gifts and that she earned money from a cover song album she released, which earned “millions” through purchases not from the public, but by government ministers. Rosmah will face her own corruption trial in February, for charges involving millions of ringgit in kickbacks for a solar hybrid project involving 369 rural schools in Sarawak. Commenting on the recordings, Rosmah told the press, “I have nothing to say.”