In Malaysia, Najib’s cheesy Super Ring jibe comes back to bite him after 1MDB verdict

Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak, who was convicted of corruption on Tuesday, trolled rivals with a picture of himself eating the snack in May

Super Ring started trending in Malaysia after his guilty verdict, with opposition politicians posing with it to show their satisfaction

Reading Time:2 minutes

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak posted this picture of himself eating the popular Super Ring snack in May, in an apparent dig at rival politicians. Photo: Facebook

Published: 8:45pm, 29 Jul 2020Updated: 6:21am, 30 Jul 2020

What do a cheesy crunchy snack food and a global financial scandal have in common?

In Malaysia, it boils down to one man: Najib Razak, the former premier convicted of corruption and abuse of power – and aficionado of the local snack Super Ring, a bright orange cheese powder-dusted snack popular among schoolchildren.

Super Ring became strongly associated with Najib in May when he appeared to troll rival politicians after posting a photo of himself eating the snack – apparently not the first time he had posed with it in the past.

However, after Najib was found guilty on Tuesday on seven charges of corruption linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, the Super Ring snack became a way for detractors and critics to show their derision.

Super Ring started trending on Twitter soon after Najib’s verdict was read out in court, and became a de facto national symbol of trust in the judiciary and expression of satisfaction.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x