Mahathir Mohamad, fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia, is now a fashion icon.

Footwear company Bata has highlighted a pair of sandals recently worn by Mahathir.

This was after Malaysians spotted the lowkey sandals worn by Mahathir as a sign of his frugality.

In response to the hype, Bata promoted the sandals on Thursday, May 17.

The brown sandals retail for RM11.99 (S$4).

The Bata Facebook post has called it the “hottest selling” item for the holy month of Ramadan.

“Ramadan 2018 hottest selling accessories, as worn by Tun M! Check it out at your nearest Bata outlets or our online store,” it said.

The sandals were first noticed by Instagram user @azranshah, who posted a photo of Mahathir and his sandals in the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.

“Saw this from a friend’s story, our humble Tun need no Gucci or Hermes, just Bata is good to go. Love you Tun,” said the user in a post, pointing at the sandals.

Bata was quick to respond to queries:

And explained just how the pair Mahathir is wearing is a design from four years ago, which explains why its insoles look different:

And of course, Bata will pay royalties -- as a joke:

No one wants any unnecessary graft charges at this time.

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