11 July, 2008
Jalil Hamid, Reuters
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, named on Thursday to be the country's premier to-be in mid-2010, is a veteran of Malaysia's sometimes nasty political wars.
An economist by training and an avid golfer with a handicap of 18, Najib will take over from embattled premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi two years from now in an orderly transition plan agreed on Thyrsday by the country's dominant political party.
The low-key, 54-year-old Najib dominated the headlines last week, but not, as he undoubtedly would have prefered, for being groomed as prime minister-in-waiting.
A private detective made allegations in a sworn affidavit -- which he then retracted before mysteriously disappearing -- that Najib had a sexual relationship with a murdered Mongolian woman. One of Najib's top political aides is on trial for the murder, along with two state bodyguards.
Najib has repeatedly denied any involvement in an alleged murder plot or of ever having even met the murder victim, his aide's alleged lover.
Malaysia's main opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, who himself is facing a sodomy allegation, said last week he planned to file a legal deposition soon demonstrating that his accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, had close ties with Najib and his staff.
Najib has admitted he had met Saiful but denied any conspiracy.
Najib, who turns 55 later this month and who was elected to parliament at the age of 22, is regarded as political blue blood -- he is the son of Abdul Razak, Malaysia's second prime minister, and the nephew of the third, Hussein Onn.
Najib's cousin is Malaysia's education minister while his younger brother, Nazir Razak, runs Malaysia's second-largest lender, Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd.
Zainon Ahmad, political editor with a Malaysian newspaper, said Najib was expected to allow market forces to have a freer hand in Malaysia's economy.
"He is a more liberal person if left on his own," Zainon said. "He'll be more egalitarian in his views of the economy. He'll be more committed towards pulling away from the New Economic Policy (NEP)."
Malaysia launched the NEP, an affirmative action in favour of the majority ethnic Malays, following deadly racial riots in 1969. Najib has steadfastly shied away from mounting a direct leadership challenge against Abdullah.
"I am a true party man who believes in the traditional way of leadership transition," he was quoted as saying earlier. "I'm not the son who destroys the party his father helped build, just to gain control of it."
Najib has faced opposition allegations that he or his family benefited from a slew of defence deals, ranging from submarines to advanced fighter jets and frigates.
The buying spree was part of Najib's push for rapid modernisation of the country's armed forces. Najib has denied any wrongdoing.
Najib graduated with honours in economics from the University of Nottingham in England in 1974 and returned to Malaysia where he joined state oil company Petronas as public relations manager.
He quit his job in 1976 following his father's death to enter politics. In the same year he was elected to parliament at the age of 22.
Two years later, he was appointed deputy minister of energy, telecommunications and post and then held the same posts in the education and finance ministries. At 24, he was Malaysia's youngest ever deputy minister and held the position until 1982.
Najib was catapulted into UMNO's Supreme Council -- the party's main decision-making body -- in 1981. Between 1982 and 1986, he was chief minister of the central state of Pahang.
Subsequently he was named culture, youth and sports minister in 1986, UMNO youth chief in 1987 and defence minister in November 1990.
Najib is married with five children.
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