Najib Razak - A Wake Up Call For Umno To Curb Nepotism And Dynastic Politics

Written by  Maclean Patrick

The Institute of Management Development (IMD) 2011 World Competitive Rankings places Malaysia at 16th, six slots down from its previous 10th position.

This drop in standing comes despite the positive announcements the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) made with regards to Malaysia’s track record in combating corruption, improved accountability and transparency.

These three themes have been Najib Razak clarion call since assuming office on April 3 2009. He entered office with a focus on domestic economic issues and political reform. And sad to say in all these areas, Najib has not only failed to make a mark, they have gotten worse.

On his first day as Prime Minister, Najib Razak emphasized his commitment to tackling poverty, restructuring Malaysian society, expanding access to quality education for all, and promoting renewed “passion for public service”.

"Economic progress and better education have directly resulted in the birth of a class of voters who are better informed, very demanding and highly critical," he told an Umno party conference," he had said.

"If we do not heed this message, their seething anger will become hatred and in the end this may cause them to abandon us altogether."

Silver Spoon

Prophetic words, if one is to look at the condition Malaysia is in today.

Now 58, Najib Razak started his political career at the age of 23 after winning the Pekan parliamentary seat.

The eldest son of former Prime Minister Abdul Razak’s six sons, and nephew of Hussein Onn, another former Prime Minister.

Najib’s rise in Malaysian politics was well crafted and speedy. He completed his studies in England, returning to Malaysia in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Economics.

At 25 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Post in 1978, the youngest deputy minister at that time. He became the youngest Menteri Besar at 29 when he was sworn in as the Menteri Besar of Pahang between 1982 and 1986.

At 55, Najib Razak was sworned in as Prime Minister of Malaysia, taking over a government in turmoil from his predecessor Tun Abdullah Badawi. A seemingly fitting culmination to Najib’s rise through the ranks of Malaysian politics.

There is no secret that Tun Abdullah Badawi has always been second choice to Najib Razak, as far as 4th prime minister Mahathir Mohamed was concerned. Mahathir has hinted that he may have made a mistake in picking Abdullah to succeed him instead of Najib Razak.

But Can A Leopard Change Its Spots

But many would beg to differ, since Najib Razak is not one without his own skeletons.

In 1987, Najib was selected as the acting head of UMNO’s youth movement, taking over from Anwar Ibrahim who was then running for UMNO Vice President.

Racial tensions came to the fore-front in 1987 culminating in a massive rally lead by the then UMNO Youth Chief, Najib Razak, in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. This was the venue where he famously threatened to bathe a keris in Chinese blood. Subsequently, this resulted in Operasi Lalang.

History should never forget Najib’s role in bringing about Operasi Lalang, his finger-prints are apparent in all the events leading up to Operasi Lalang. And the same finger-prints are evident in the present day as we see the same tensions surfacing again.

This time round, it is not merely racial tensions but it has taken on a religious dimension. And small wonder that under Najib’s watch such rampant actions by elements like PERKASA and  gutter politics have become norm to Malaysians.

Najib Razak is a career politician, as are most politicians in Malaysia. And his rise in Malaysian politics was guided and engineered for him. His ascension through the UMNO ranks has been steady, owing to the fact that Najib knows how to pick his friends.

Early on, he took Tun Mahathir’s side and has remain steadfast still to the grand-master of Malaysian politics.

But Najib in playing the political game has spread himself thin. He is head of UMNO, leader of the Malay majority and his attempts at winning over the majority of Malaysians, at times, contradicts the party’s sentiments.

The internal bickering within UMNO is coming to a head as various individuals position themselves to take over from him, to which Najib himself seems unable to control.

This is Najib’s legacy.
           
-   Malaysia Chronicle

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