The photo posted was by @azranshah on Instagram on Thursday, May 17 and showed Mahathir resting on a chair and looking at his phone, with his sandals off at Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya.
The Instagram user spotted the sandal's brand, Bata ,which is well known for its affordable prices, and wrote: "Our humble Tun need(s) no Gucci or Hermes, just Bata is good to go, Love you Tun," with a scribbled red arrow pointing at the sandals.
This prompted the shoe brand Bata to post a picture of the sandals, touting them as the brand’s hottest accessory this Ramadan.
The post has since been shared over 1,600 times and received over 2,600 reactions.