Malaysia Prime Minister Given 24 Carat Gold Mobile Phone

Malaysia's Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi has been presented with a limited edition gold plated mobile phone as comemoration of the country's 50th anniversary of independence, due this Friday. The handset is made by Inobel, a subsidiary of the Malaysian UMW Group. The "Merdeka 50" handset has the serial number 0001. In a statement, UMW Group said the Prime Minister recently accepted the phone at the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya recently from UMW group chairman Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin, who also presented a similar phone to Abdullah's wife.

"We felt it was most appropriate to present this pair of phones to the Prime Minister and his wife on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence. This phone has been specially designed by Inobel to salute the golden anniversary of Malaysia's independence and the country's long list of spectacular achievements. "The pride and prestige associated with this milestone celebration is reflected in the use of 24-carat gold, which makes this phone so striking in design," said UMW group chairman Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin.