Our PM also like him-lah
Honesty, Integrity and Trustworthy
When he was French president, Encik Charles de Gaulle believed public money had to be treated as untouchable.
At the Élysée Palace, he refused to let the government pay for anything that was personal.
His wife, Yvonne de Gaulle, kept a small notebook where she carefully recorded every family expense — electricity, groceries, laundry, soap, and other daily items.
Every month, she would write a check to the French Treasury to reimburse those private costs.
One day, an accountant at the Élysée told her that wasn’t really necessary. She replied:
“Sir, anything that is not public is private — and private expenses are ours to pay.”
Even his children and grandchildren were not allowed to use official government cars for personal errands.
He declined many privileges tied to his position, paying his own personal bills at the Élysée — down to basic items like soap and family meals.
He also refused to take a presidential salary, choosing to live only on his military general’s pension.
When he died, he left behind no personal fortune — only his family home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, which he had bought before the war.
It’s even said that if he believed any personal expense might have accidentally been covered by public funds, he would send a check back to the government to repay it.
Adapted from the story shared by our friend, Motorland via Facebook posting on Tuesday 10 January 2026.
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