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
What do a cheesy crunchy snack food and a global financial scandal have in common?
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.
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.
A number of opposition leaders and citizens on Wednesday posed with the snack on social media.
On Instagram, Parliamentarian Shamsul Iskandar stated “still in Parliament to prepare for tomorrow’s debate. Enjoy Super Ring first. Delicious”.
Politicians Ong Kian Ming and Najwan Halimi also posted Super Ring pictures.
Besides Malaysians taking to social media to mock Najib, who was ousted in the country’s 2018 election, others used Photoshop to channel their creative talents.
Popular punk artist Fahmi Reza edited a photo of the snack to depict handcuffs being pulled out of the iconic blue packet.
Manufactured by Malaysian snack producer Oriental Food Industries, Super Ring had previously joined in on the fun, greeting users in a June Facebook post with “Hey Bossku [hi my boss]!” – a nickname given to Najib by his supporters.
He faces 35 more charges in the upcoming trials.
The judge delivered the sentence after finding Najib guilty of all seven charges, which included one of abuse of power, three of money laundering and three of criminal breach of trust.
The case involves some 42 million ringgit (US$9.8 million) that flowed from SRC International, a subsidiary of the 1MDB state fund, to his personal accounts.
1MDB conviction: will Najib’s Umno party stand by him?
Najib appeared unfazed by the jibes.
Late on Wednesday, he re-posted the original photo of him eating Super Rings alongside a news clipping that said the Pakatan Harapan government in the state of Sabah was likely to collapse soon. “Another collapse?” he wrote.
