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Najib Razak

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Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak is a prominent Malaysian politician.

Najib Tun Razak
Najib Tun Razak

He served as the sixth prime minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018. Najib was the son of Abdul Razak Hussein, who was also a prime minister. This family connection placed him in a significant political position from a young age. He eventually led the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He also served as the president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). His career spanned several decades of Malaysian history.

Najib's political journey began very early in his life. In 1976, he was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia. He was only 23 years old when he won the seat in Pekan. This seat was previously held by his father. During that same year, he became a member of the UMNO Youth Executive Council. By 1978, he was appointed as a deputy minister. This made him the youngest deputy minister in the country. He later served as the Menteri Besar, or Chief Minister, of Pahang from 1982 to 1986.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Najib held many different ministerial roles. He served as the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports starting in 1986. During this time, he introduced the National Sports Policy in 1988. He also served as the Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1995. Under his direction, Malaysian troops were sent to assist United Nations peacekeeping forces in Bosnia. He later became the Minister of Education in 1995. His goal was to help Malaysia become a fully developed nation by 2020. He returned to the Defence Ministry again from 2000 to 2008.

Najib became the deputy prime minister in 2004. He eventually succeeded Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to become prime minister in 2009.

Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on January 26, 2018 (cropped)
Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on January 26, 2018 (cropped)

His leadership involved many economic changes. He implemented economic liberalisation measures to change how the economy functioned. One major change was cutting government subsidies. He also introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST). These decisions were often unpopular with the Malaysian public.

During his time in office, Najib faced several major challenges. His government dealt with the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disaster. He also managed a dispute with North Korea following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. However, a massive corruption scandal became his biggest struggle. This scandal involved a state investment firm called 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB.

Najibrosmah
Najibrosmah

This became one of the largest money-laundering and embezzlement scandals in history. It led to large public protests led by a group called Bersih. Many people called for his resignation.

To maintain control, Najib took several political actions. He replaced the deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin. He also suspended two newspapers. He pushed through the National Security Council Bill in parliament. This bill gave the prime minister unprecedented powers. At the same time, the Malaysian currency, the ringgit, lost value. This happened because of fluctuating oil prices and the 1MDB scandal. These factors combined to hurt public confidence in his administration.

In the 2018 general election, the Barisan Nasional coalition suffered a historic defeat. This was the first time the coalition had lost since Malayan independence in 1957. Najib conceded the election and promised a smooth transition of power. However, his legal troubles continued shortly after. In July 2018, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested him. They were investigating how RM42 million moved from SRC International into his bank account. Police also seized fashion accessories worth $273 million during searches of his properties.

Najib was eventually convicted of several serious crimes. The High Court found him guilty of abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust. He became the first Malaysian prime minister to be convicted of corruption. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. He was also ordered to settle RM1.69 billion in tax arrears. The Federal Court upheld this sentence in August 2022. He is currently serving his sentence in Kajang Prison.

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File:Najib Tun Razak.jpg
Najib Tun Razak.jpg
File:Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on January 26, 2018 (cropped).jpg
Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri...
File:The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak meeting the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on January 20, 2010.jpg
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri...
File:Najibrosmah.jpg
Najibrosmah.jpg
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