PETALING JAYA, Sept 28 — Malaysians mocked today Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh after the actress, who previously endorsed Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was announced as the producer of the film version of Billion Dollar Whale, a book about the 1MDB scandal that has engulfed the former prime minister.  

After the media reported that SK Global’s Ivanhoe Pictures, the company that co-financed and co-produced Crazy Rich Asians had obtained the film rights to the book with Yeoh — who had starred in that movie — at the helm, many took to venting online against her involvement in Billion Dollar Whale.

Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel was among the first to criticise Yeoh, questioning the former Bond girl’s integrity and support for Najib and Barisan Nasional before the 14th general election.

The backlash dominated the conversation on social media, especially Twitter, with many calling Yeoh an opportunist and branded her involvement as insulting.

In 2013, Yeoh, the daughter of former Perak MCA chairman, the late Datuk Yeoh Kian Teik, had faced the same situation when she sang praises of Najib during a gathering.

Last January, the goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme and star of the 2011 Aung San Suu Kyi biopic, The Lady, again praised Najib, this time for his handling of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Last week, Yeoh uploaded a photograph of herself with Billion Dollar Whale, which was written by Wall Street Journal journalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, calling it ä “fascinating book”.

The response to Yeoh’s involvement in the much-anticipated Billion Dollar Whale movie has been almost negative.

Many, however, took jibes at Yeoh in a more light-hearted fashion, and others in more simple, relatable Malaysian terms.

While some took the passive-aggressive route in complimenting her acting.

Even Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh and Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil chimed in with many “punny” responses.