KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Parliament today denied purchasing wagyu beef for lawmakers, clarifying that caterers had provided the expensive dish for free.
In a statement today, the Parliament corporate communications unit said that it had always observed a strict budget and worked within the allocation provided.
“The Parliament of Malaysia has never spent luxuriously for such purposes.
“The wagyu beef menu, which was viralled, was an additional dish prepared by the caterers to celebrate the appointment of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker yesterday. It was not ordered by the Malaysian Parliament.
“The dish was also only served at the main table, for eight people, and not served to all the invitees,” the statement issued by the unit’s secretary Tengku Nasaruddin Tengku Mohamed said.
Nasaruddin also expressed dismay at the way the photo of the menu was spread on social media, as the information provided was inaccurate.
He added that despite the RM120 allocation for food per person, Parliament had only approved RM50 for the luncheon yesterday.
A Facebook user by the name of Nabeel Naqie had yesterday shared a photo of the menu that listed “daging lembu wagyu masak kicap kentang” (wagyu beef with sauce and potatoes).
He questioned the Pakatan Harapan government’s austerity drive and highlighted the government’s announcement that the national debt stood at RM1 trillion.
Wagyu beef is often touted as one of the most luxurious meat selections derived from specially bred cows, with tender meat and just the right amount of fat marbling.
The dish can cost up to thousands of ringgit, depending on its quality.
