Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak took a lot of flak from Malaysian Twitter users today after he tweeted that his handpicked cabinet was admonished to spend less on pomp and ceremony.

Najib tweeted this at 4.40pm today via his official Twitter account @NajibRazak.

" Dalam Mesy Jemaah Menteri pertama 2016 yg sy pengerusikan semalam, sy ingatkan Kabinet utk belanja peruntukan yg diberikan secara berhemah (In the first Cabinet meeting of 2016 that I chaired yesterday, I reminded them to spend their allocations prudently," wrote Najib.

English daily The Star reported that in the meeting yesterday, Najib told his ministers to cut pomp, pageantry, and grandeur out of their programmes and be prudent in spending their budgetary allocations.

This, he reportedly said, is in the face of economic uncertainties.

Twitter users, however, were less than impressed with Najib's sudden concern with thrift, especially perhaps when he himself had been linked to lavish spending, with several private jets said to be at his beck and call, as well as globe-straddling vacations allegedly at public expense.

Twitter user @SirAiyelEdham wrote: "@NajibRazak Belanja Isteri sampai beli Beg berjuta ringgit tu semua kira berhemah kan Dato? Kejap nk belanja makwe saya jap (Treating your wife to a bag worth millions of ringgit is considered prudent, Dato'? Wait, I want to treat my girlfriend too).

Another user, @cthalijahDzahir tweeted, "@NajibRazak dapat derma tu, kongsi2 lahh der. takkan makan sorg? habis kita yang lain makan asap ? (Why don't you share the donation you got with us? Don't just enjoy it alone. Will the rest of get nothing?)".

One user, @syfq_syrf, sarcastically wrote, "@NajibRazak jangan lupa ingatkan diri sendiri ea. (Don't forget to remind yourself.)," snidely asking Najib to remember to be more thrifty as well.

Taking a more religious angle, user @PerahuSamudera, tweeted him: "@NajibRazak jom sama2 kita bertaubat, kiamat dah dekat. Assalamualaikum. (Let us all repent together, the end of days is near. Peace be upon you)."

With dissent against his policies and scandals, Najib has been increasingly facing ridicule online, with frustrated Malaysians using the venue as an outlet for their displeasure with the ruling government.

Some internet users have been hauled up by the powers-that-be in a crackdown on dissent, with a government officer recently getting into hot water over an online posting hinting that Najib and his wife should ' sedar diri ' or come to their senses, as part of a New Year wish.