PUTRAJAYA - Former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri was surprised to find that the bidder for his Rolex watch with a price of RM135,000 was someone he knew.
According to him, the bidder came to his office around 3.15pm today to hand over the cash for the watch.
"To be honest, I was surprised because I know him," Zulkifli said during a press conference broadcast live on his official Facebook page.
The bidder who preferred to remain anonymous, is from Pasir Gudang, Johor, and won the bid seven minutes before it ended. Zulkifli said that the meeting with the bidder was emotional, and tears were shed. "He handed over that large amount of money to me with such sincerity," he said.
Furthermore, Zulkifli mentioned that the bidder provided three reasons for owning the watch, aside from the cause related to Palestine. "He said it was a gift from the King of Saudi Arabia, and I wore it when I held my previous ministerial position," he explained.
According to Zulkifli, RM100,000 from the bid proceeds will be donated to Palestinian refugees in Amman, Jordan, through Muslim Care Malaysia (MCM). "I will take this money with me to be handed over in Jordan, either tomorrow or the day after," he said.
He added that the remaining RM35,000 would be given to several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim), Aqsa Syarif, Pas Relief, and others.
In the meantime, Zulkifli expressed his gratitude to all parties, including the media and the people of Malaysia, who supported the effort. "May we be rewarded in the future," he said.
Previously, Sinar had reported that Zulkifli auctioned and opened bids for his beloved luxury watch on Facebook for two days, starting Monday, with the entire proceedings to be donated to the Palestinian people. He mentioned that the starting bid for the luxury watch, a gift from the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, was at RM40,000.
According to him, the bidder came to his office around 3.15pm today to hand over the cash for the watch.
"To be honest, I was surprised because I know him," Zulkifli said during a press conference broadcast live on his official Facebook page.
The bidder who preferred to remain anonymous, is from Pasir Gudang, Johor, and won the bid seven minutes before it ended. Zulkifli said that the meeting with the bidder was emotional, and tears were shed. "He handed over that large amount of money to me with such sincerity," he said.
Furthermore, Zulkifli mentioned that the bidder provided three reasons for owning the watch, aside from the cause related to Palestine. "He said it was a gift from the King of Saudi Arabia, and I wore it when I held my previous ministerial position," he explained.
According to Zulkifli, RM100,000 from the bid proceeds will be donated to Palestinian refugees in Amman, Jordan, through Muslim Care Malaysia (MCM). "I will take this money with me to be handed over in Jordan, either tomorrow or the day after," he said.
He added that the remaining RM35,000 would be given to several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim), Aqsa Syarif, Pas Relief, and others.
In the meantime, Zulkifli expressed his gratitude to all parties, including the media and the people of Malaysia, who supported the effort. "May we be rewarded in the future," he said.
Previously, Sinar had reported that Zulkifli auctioned and opened bids for his beloved luxury watch on Facebook for two days, starting Monday, with the entire proceedings to be donated to the Palestinian people. He mentioned that the starting bid for the luxury watch, a gift from the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, was at RM40,000.