Najib Razak

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Early political career

Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysia's oldest son, was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia in 1976 after his father was elected in Pekan, Pahang. Following Tun Razak's death and admiration for his father, the national mourning of grief helped Najib win the election unopposed as Member of Parliament at the young age of 23. In 1986, Najib's re-election to the same seat was won.

He served as the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Pahang from 1982 to 1986, before holding various cabinet positions in the 1980s and 1990s, including Defence and Education. He served as Deputy Prime Minister under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2004 and 2009 and was fired in 2009. Barisan Nasional won the 2013 elections under his leadership, but the opposition gained the majority of the popular vote for the first time in Malaysia's history.

When he was first elected Deputy Minister of Energy, Telecommunications, and Post in 1978, Najib was first called into the Cabinet of Malaysia at the age of 25. He was the country's youngest deputy minister. He served as Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Pahang from 1982 to 1986, becoming the youngest Menteri Besar in the state to serve in office when he was sworn in at the age of 29. In 1986, he was named Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports in Mahathir Mohamad's cabinet. In 1988, he concentrated on improving Malaysian sports and introduced the National Sports Policy. Malaysia's best-ever appearance at the South East Asia (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1989.

In 1976, Najib was appointed head of UMNO Youth's Pekan branch and became a member of the UMNO Youth Executive Council (Exco). He was first elected as a member of UMNO's Supreme Council in 1981 before winning the post of Vice President of UMNO Youth in 1982.

On October 26, 1987, the then head of the opposition, Lim Kit Siang, called on the Anti-Corruption Agency to look into whether Najib, who was then Pahang MB, would allow a logging waiver of 2000 acres to a low-cost housing estate. He ordered the ACA to look at whether the logging concessionnaire was really a candidate for Najib himself.

After Anwar was asked to run for Vice President Nib as the acting head of the Movement of UMNO Youth by Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1987, he was chosen as the acting head of the Movement of UMNO Youth. Following heightened ethnic tensions, anti-Chinese sentiments were expressed at a UMNO Youth rally in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, the year when Najib spoke. Soon, rising tensions sparked fears of ethnic violence, which culminated in the birth of Operasi Lalang, which also included many administrative detentions.

Najib was elected president of UMNO Youth in 1988 following complete reorganization and establishment of the "New" UMNO by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in the aftermath of the 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis.

In reaction to Anwar's decision to run as the deputy president of UMNO in 1993, Najib was elected one of six vice presidents of UMNO by 1993. In 1993, 1996, and 2004, Najib continued to defend his position in national elections.

Senior Ministerial career

Mahathir appointed Najib as Minister of Defense in 1991. During the Bosnian War, Malaysian troops were sent to support the UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia in 1993. Bosnians, as well as Serbs and Croats, welcomed Malaysian forces warmly. During the Battle of Mogadishu, Malaysia also supported peacekeeping operations in Somalia in 1993, losing one soldier in an attempt to assist US troops. Later, Najib slammed the UN's Somalia operation for putting too much emphasis on military conduct. Since then, Malaysia has shown a preference for participating in Chapter 6 "peace enforcement" missions rather than Chapter 7 "peacekeeping" missions. Najib took over the Education Ministry in 1995 after four years at the Ministry of Defense. In 2000, he returned to the Ministry of Defence.

When he was first named Minister of Education in 1995, Najib left the Defence Ministry for the first time. He had to respond to Malaysia's recently declared aim to become a fully developed nation by 2020. During his five-year tenure, Najib restructured the Ministry, instituted a separate corporate body for public universities, and encouraged collaboration with international universities and colleges. The 1996 Private Higher Education Institutions Act permitted foreign universities to open degree-conferring schools in Malaysia, providing greater educational opportunities for Malaysians and establishing Malaysia as a regional learning hub. Najib also upgraded teaching certificates to the rank of diplomas, meaning that teachers in the subject field would earn a higher starting salary.

During the 1999 general elections, Najib suffered a big setback as he barely gained re-election to the Parliament by a margin of 241 votes, relative to a margin of over 10,000 in the previous election. Although it was a surprise to political observers, it was understandable given the 1999 political upheavals.

During his second term as Minister of Defence Najib, he coordinated Malaysia's relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and aided Indonesia in deposing those responsible for the 2005 Bali bombers. Following the 2006 Lebanon War, Najib also oversaw the deployment of Malaysian troops as part of a UN peacekeeping force in 2006, when Malaysia promised to assist Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon War.

In December 2003, Najib introduced compulsory military service, claiming that it would foster interaction and friendship among youth of various ethnic groups and faiths. Over 339,000 Malaysian youth took part in the PLKN (the Bahasa Malaysian acronym for "Malaysian National Service"), which is designed to foster compassion, collaboration, and community involvement during its first five years of operation. Despite this, the program has had its challenges. Several people died during or shortly after their terms of service in the first few years, and safety concerns were also highlighted in the program. In reaction, Najib boosted the PLKN's health screening policies and reiterated the government's pledge to punishing corrupt PLKN employees.

French courts looked at allegations of misconduct in the acquisition of two Scorpène-class submarines by the Malaysian Ministry of Defense in 2002, at a time when Najib was the minister of defense, when Najib was the Minister of Defense. According to reports, French submarine builder DCNS paid Abdul Razak Baginda, an aide to Najib, "commission" payments. Shaariibuugin Altantuyaa, a Mongolian woman hired as a French translator to help with the submarine purchase and mistress to Baginda, was killed after trying to blackmail Baginda for a $500,000 dollar. 2 policemen, who were bodyguards stationed in Najib, were charged and found guilty.

Mahathir was fired in 2004 and was replaced by his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. After becoming Deputy Prime Minister and receiving a slew of positions, including oversight of FELDA, the Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), and the Election Commission (EC). More than 28 cabinet committees were also chaired by Najib. He remained Minister of Defense until his position.

In September 2008, Najib became the Minister of Finance, handing over the Defence portfolio to Badawi. During the global financial crisis, Malaysia faced a severe recession and reduced the volume of trade in the South Asian region. In reaction, Najib revealed a series of stimulus packages over a two-year period with the intention of serving as a countercyclical response that could otherwise shield Malaysia's economy. He also advised the country to move beyond existing manufacturing capabilities by education, study, and development in order to gain more traction as a provider of complex business services.

Badawi named Najib as his replacement after the ruling UMNO coalition's poor showing in the 2008 general elections, in which opposition parties took over five of Malaysia's state governments. On October 8, 2008, Prime Minister Badawi announced that he would step down in March 2009, opening the way for Najib to take his place. However, he said the onus was on Najib to win party elections scheduled for March before he could take over. Najib ran for president of UMNO and went on to triumph on November 2nd, 2008, without a contest.

Najib gained the UMNO presidency unopposed on March 26, 2009. In 2012, Najib assumed the position of women, family, and community development minister, which he held until the 2013 election.

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