While allegations over Rosmah Mansor’s RM24 million ring have yet to subside, critics of Najib Abdul Razak have now trained their sights on his daughter.

NONE This follows a news item in what appeared to be from the West Australian newspaper, reporting that a woman - said to be Najib's daughter - had spent A$60,000 (RM195,000) during a shopping spree at David Jones, a major department store in Australia.

The unnamed individual was reportedly with her parents who were attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last week in Perth, Western Australia.

While the veracity of the report could not be confirmed, a pro-opposition Malaysian blogger has posted a picture of the purported report on his blog .

It showed yesterday's date and the masthead of The West Australian which was said to have published it.

Other pro-opposition bloggers have picked up the purported report, headlined ‘Delegates go shopping and sightseeing’. This has also appeared on many Facebook pages.

Former PKR central committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, popularly known as Chegubard, commented on his blog that while Malaysians are finding it hard to cope with rising prices, politicians and their children are spending lavishly overseas.

The BN, he said, has failed to address the issue of rising costs and is considering new laws to introduce taxes which will burden the public further.

“While the allegations about the RM24.45 million ring have yet to be answered, there is apparently a report in the West Australian newspaper of extreme spending by Najib and Rosmah’s daughter.”

'No such thing'

PKR news portal Keadilan Daily , which also picked up the report , said the individual was in the delegation that included Deputy Information, Communication and Culture Minister Maglin Dennis D’Cruz, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mashitah Ibrahim and PPP president M Kayveas.

NONE The portal also claimed that traders had made a huge profit when an unnamed first lady spent A$150,000 (RM487,000) on Western Australian pearls, while ‘Najib’s daughter’ spent A$60,000.

It quoted state director for CHOGM Richard Muirhead as saying that leisure activities were arranged for the foreign dignitaries outside the tight CHOGM itinerary.

Pro-Umno portal Agenda Daily , however, rubbished the claims, asserting that none of Najib's children were in Australia during CHOGM.

Quoting a unnamed source "who can be trusted", Agenda Daily said: "There is no such thing, be it the prime minister's son or daughter."

The article charged that the recent episode is yet another attempt by pro-opposition bloggers to defame the prime minister's wife.

Agenda Daily added that, from what it understands, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is too "lazy" to address the issue as any denial would be spun.

Malaysiakini has sought clarification from the PMO but has yet to receive a response.