Newly-elected Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim released a tweet on Sunday night announcing that he "refused" to use a luxury car that belongs to the PM's office and that was purchased prior to him taking office.

“I would like to inform you that yesterday I refused to use a Mercedes S600 type vehicle that was purchased and obtained by the Prime Minister’s Department before I entered the office,” the PM said on his Twitter account.

Read more: Israeli terrorism hits Palestinians in Malaysia again: Reports

Saya ingin memaklumkan bahawa semalam saya telah menolak untuk menggunakan sebuah kenderaan jenis Mercedes S600 yang telah dibeli dan diperoleh Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM) sebelum saya memasuki pejabat.#DemiPertiwi pic.twitter.com/aifWWUUuAH

— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) November 27, 2022

Ibrahim stressed during a visit he made a day earlier to the Sungai Long mosque that his administration will not be wasting public funds on cars or other unnecessary expenses, urging other departments to follow suit and "start a new culture".

“This is a message to all department leaders to remember that in the current situation we should start a new culture. Don’t use government money for our own facilities."

Last Thursday, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was named Prime Minister, ending a days-long political impasse after inconclusive polls.

Read more: Mossad abduction of Palestinian in Malaysia 'blunder': Israeli Media

The latest election witnessed veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad face his first election defeat in 53 years, marking the end of a seven-decade political career.

Since the Malaysian parliament passed a reform lowering the voting age to 18 in 2019, the electorate increased by 6 million.