“It is a big slap on our faces,” she said in a speech at the People’s Congress here, where a people’s movement is being launched to oust Najib as prime minister.

She did not give details of the problems with Bangkok money changers. However, Malaysia’s currency suffered a sharp drop in value on foreign exchange markets since 2014 after world crude oil prices collapsed. The ringgit has recently recovered slightly against the US dollar.

Teresa also spoke about her visit to Tunisia last year with DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang and two other DAP politicians on a tour of several Middle Eastern countries.

“We went to visit Tunisia’s Ennahda party. They are an opposition party but work together with the government for the betterment of the country,” she said.

She called for Malaysian politicians on both sides to “just also sit together and solve the country’s problems, not by imposing stricter rules, it creates fear”.

Teresa pointed out that some of the Malay Rulers were also “not happy with some of the rules”, mentioning the National Security Council Bill which had been returned by the Rulers’ Conference for review by the government and possible amendment.

She hoped one million Malaysians would sign the Citzens’ Declaration of the Save Malaysia Movement to oust Najib.