With all these parties and wedding receptions, do people in government actually have time to get any work done?
Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has come under fire for hosting a costly wedding ceremony for his daughter in the midst of a Putrajaya austerity drive and rising prices for food, fuel and electricity.
The minister’s daughter Nina Sabrina wed renowned Indonesian fashion designer Jovian Mandagie at an akad nikah ceremony held in the former Istana Negara, at a reported rental cost of RM25,000 for eight hours. The solemnisation ceremony was followed by a lavish two-day reception at a five-star hotel in KL, attended by members of royalty, celebrities, politicians and socialites. The reception dinners featured performances by superstars Jamal Abdillah and Indonesian Ruth Suhanaya.
However, Ismail Sabri insists that the wedding was carried out with frugality in mind. “To cut cost, I even asked my son-in-law to do his reception in KL. If it’s in Jakarta, my family and relatives will have to fly there and as a result, I have to bear more cost for flight tickets and accommodation,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
“So that’s why the reception was held over two days – one for my family, and the other by my in-laws. But without knowing facts, I got attacked,” he said, adding that the wedding reception in his hometown of Temerloh, Pahang, was done gotong-royong style with everyone pitching in to help.
Ismail Sabri refused to reveal the actual cost of the wedding.
This comes on the heels of reports that Ismail Sabri’s colleague, Home Affairs Ministry Datur Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi hosted an expensive birthday party for himself and his grandson, which also served as a New Year’s party, at a 5-star Kuala Lumpur hotel.
Source: The Malaysian Insider
Photo: keehuachee.blogspot.com
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