Once you get past the typical, diplomatic gifts that fill the cases at Galeria Perdana, you start really to appreciate what people imagine a gift can be.
First up, a portrait of horses in needle point. It's a no-brainer gift.
Dolls are good, at least in traditional dress, good for the ethnographically inclined. What about plush toys with record length eyebrows?
Then the gifts start to drift in intent. Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad on a vase - honor or horror?
Many gifts are muddied by business projects. A model of the building you hope to erect. The symbolic trowel, used to lay the first brick.
Maybe you're lobbying on behalf of a business organization. It sounds corny, but you want to show your appreciation....
Some no-nos. A decanter set, given to an alcohol abstaining Muslim. A mascot, looking a little too close to a racist stereotype.
Literally, silver slippers.
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