Najib's Pussy Named
(The Star) - “Wamay,” “Onemay”, “Rona” and “Rakyat” - these are some of the names suggested by Malaysians for the Prime Minister’s new pet kitten (picture above).
Following Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s purchase of a Persian kitten during an exhibition on Wednesday, he invited the public to help him and his family name their new pet. The invitation was posted in his blog at www.1malaysia.com.my.
Najib had bought the orange and white Persian kitten for RM650 during the launch of the “Buy Malaysia” campaign. The call has attracted over 500 responses so far, with “1Malaysia” topping the list of the names suggested.
Many of the strange-sounding names are short-forms or variations of either the names of Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor or the Prime Minister’s national visions and policies.
One respondent, Nur Izzah Insyirah Hussin, called for the kitten to be named “Wamay” – a short form of Najib’s leadership slogan of 1Malaysia if it’s a male and Mamay meaning “Malaysia Malaysian” if it’s a female.
Another variation of 1Malaysia – Onemay – was coined by Azmah Iskandar, who shortened it even further to “One” or “Wan.” Housewife Kursiah Johar commented: “What a lucky cat ... in the hands of our Prime Minister. Call it Lucky then.”
Another respondent, Azroy, suggested “Melcindia” which is short for Melayu, Cina and India to signify the 1Malaysia spirit.
Amran reversed Najib’s name and suggested Bijan, which is a masculine Persian name. “Rakyat” was also suggested several times to signify that the Prime Minister takes care of the people’s interests.
Kamalanathan suggested “Rona,” which is a combination of Najib’s and Rosmah’s names. However, several commentators criticised the Prime Minister for allegedly indulging in the trivial pursuit of naming his pet instead of focusing on the country’s problems.
Others were concerned that Najib had chosen to buy a kitten instead of adopting one. “Why wasn’t adoption made a choice? There are thousands of homeless, stray cats out there. You could have set a good example and would have promoted adoption of strays,” said Nandhini Sivanna.
Another commentator, Riaz, agreed with Nandhini and called on Najib to adopt more cats to set an example to the people.
“Many animal shelters don’t have enough money or space to keep unwanted or abandoned kitties for long. Most times, these cats and kittens have to be put to sleep because no one wants to give them a home,” the writer said.
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