Sheila Majid's frustration over the rising cost of living has left Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah puzzled.

"Why is she complaining about the cost of living? What's her income?" he asked during a press conference in Cyberjaya this evening.

On Tuesday, the singer tweeted that Malaysians are angry for having to deal with a "debt" that they had no part in creating.

However, Irwan said people who make such complaints are confused between the cost of living and the cost of lifestyle.

"The inflation is only 3.5 percent, but the annual salary increase is higher, at five to six percent, the salary (increment) should be able to cover the inflationary cost.

"There is another cost, lifestyle cost. People always get confused between lifestyle cost and cost of living, if you add the lifestyle cost, then things are beyond your means," he added.

Irwan also stressed that the government has done a lot for the bottom 40 percent (B40) group.

"(We are giving) 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M), education fees (free education), and RM1 hospital fees.

“Where in the world can you go to the hospital and only pay RM1?" he asked.

"The economy is growing, everything is good. Not to worry, this country is a prosperous country," he said, but noted that the property market has softened and house prices have dropped.

Sheila’s tweet, which also touched on runaway inflation, unemployment and the depreciation of the ringgit, has since caused a firestorm of reactions.

Umno information chief Annuar Musa suggested that economics is not the jazz singer's forte, while aide to the prime minister's wife Rizal Mansor queried how her latest concert could be sold out if the economy was in as bad a shape as she claimed. 

However, a number of fellow celebrities came out swinging in Sheila's defence, saying that the same "template" of attacks is always used to silence those in the entertainment industry.