Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak (, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018. He is the son of former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein. Najib served as the chairman of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition from April 2009 to May 2018 and as the president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) from November 2008 to May 2018.
The coalition experienced an unprecedented defeat in the 2018 general election, attributed to corruption charges involving Najib and his family, which eroded public trust in the ruling party. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, widely regarded as unpopular, also significantly contributed to the decline in support. In 2020, he was convicted of corruption in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, one of the largest money-laundering and embezzlement scandals in history.
Najib was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia in 1976, at the age of 23, replacing his deceased father in the Pahang-based seat of Pekan. In the same year, he was appointed the head of UMNO Youth's Pekan branch and became a member of the youth wing's Executive Council. In the early years of his political career, Najib took on a deputy minister role in 1976, and between 1982 and 1986, he was the Menteri Besar of Pahang. Thereafter, until 2009, he was rotated throughout the Cabinet of Malaysia, taking on various ministerial portfolios in defence, education, culture, youth and sports, and finally finance. Between 1993 and 2009, Najib was a vice-president of UMNO. During his tenure as deputy prime minister, he was accused of being involved in the 2006 Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case, but he denied any involvement in the case.
Najib's tenure as prime minister, between 2009 and 2018, was marked by economic liberalisation measures, such as cuts to government subsidies, which were unpopular among the public. After the 2013 election, his government pursued a number of its critics on sedition charges, saw the imprisonment of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim following a conviction for sodomy, and the implementation of a Goods and Services Tax (GST). He was prime minister during the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disaster and a dispute with North Korea following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam.
In 2015, Najib became implicated in a major corruption scandal involving state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) which led to rallies calling for his resignation, spearheaded by the grassroots movement Bersih.Arrests at rally calling for Najib's resignation . The Straits Times, 1 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.Protesters Call on Malaysian Prime Minister to resign . The Wall Street Journal, 1 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.Bersih plans overnight rally in August to demand Najib's resignation . The Straits Times, 29 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015. These protests culminated in the Malaysian Citizens' Declaration by Mahathir Mohamad, Pakatan Harapan and non-governmental organisations that sought to oust Najib.
Najib's response to the corruption accusations was to tighten his grip on power by replacing then-deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, suspending two newspapers and pushing through parliament a controversial National Security Council Bill that provided the prime minister with unprecedented powers. Najib's various subsidy cuts have contributed to soaring living costs, while fluctuating oil prices and the fallout from the 1MDB scandal led to a depreciation of the Malaysian currency. These ended with BN's historic loss in the 2018 general elections; the coalition had ruled uninterrupted since Malayan independence in 1957. Najib then conceded defeat and promised to help facilitate a smooth transition of power.
On 3 July 2018, Najib was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which had been investigating how RM42 million (US$10.6 million) went from SRC International, a company related to 1MDB, into Najib's bank account. In the process, the police seized a number of fashion accessories worth $273 million while searching through his properties.1MDB scandal explained: a tale of Malaysia's missing billions Published by The Guardian on 25 October 2018 Najib was subsequently charged and convicted by the High Court on abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust, becoming the first Prime Minister of Malaysia to be convicted of corruption, and was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and fined RM210 million. At the same time, Najib was also simultaneously directed to settle RM1.69 billion in tax arrears owed to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB). The sentence was upheld by the Federal Court on 23 August 2022. He is currently serving his sentence at Kajang Prison, pending payment of RM50 million fine, following which he will be allowed to serve out the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Early life and education Najib was born on 23 July 1953 at the Pahang State Secretary official residence in Bukit Bius, Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Najib is the eldest of second Malaysian Prime Minister Abdul Razak's six sons. His younger brother, Mohd Nazir Abdul Razak,CIMB Group, 25 May 2009 . Cimb.com. Retrieved on 24 October 2011. runs the country's second-largest lender, Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd.PAC to haul up seven ministries, agencies for weak finances . Themalaysianinsider.com. Retrieved on 24 October 2011. Najib is also one of the Four Noblemen of the Pahang Darul Makmur (Royal Court) by virtue of his inherited title as the Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar. He received his primary and secondary education at St. John's Institution, Kuala Lumpur. He later attended Malvern College in Worcestershire, England, and subsequently went to the University of Nottingham, where he received a bachelor's degree in industrial economics in 1974. Najib Razak returned to Malaysia in 1974 and entered the business world, serving briefly at Bank Negara Malaysia and later with Petronas (Malaysia's national oil company) as a public affairs manager."How Najib and Abdullah rose to nation's top post". , Daily Express, 4 April 2009
Early political career (1976–1991)
The eldest son of Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdul Razak Hussein, he was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia in 1976 replacing his deceased father in the Pahang-based seat of Pekan. The national outpouring of grief following Abdul Razak's death and the respect for his father helped Najib win election unopposed as Member of Parliament at the very young age of 23.Biography. The Honourable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak . Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia In 1986 Najib won re-election to the same seat.
Najib was appointed head of UMNO Youth's Pekan branch and became a member of UMNO Youth's Executive Council (Exco) in 1976. In 1981, he was selected as a member of UMNO's Supreme Council, before winning the post of Vice-President of UMNO Youth in 1982.Najib is Deputy PM, Cabinet reshuffled. thestar.com.my. 7 January 2004
Najib was first assigned into the Cabinet of Malaysia at the age of 25 when he was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Post in 1978, becoming the youngest deputy minister in the country. He served as the Menteri Besar of Pahang between 1982 and 1986, becoming the youngest Menteri Besar in the state to enter office when he was sworn in at the age of 29. In 1986 he was appointed as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in the cabinet of Mahathir Mohamad. He focused on improving Malaysian sports and introduced the National Sports Policy in 1988. In 1989 Malaysia achieved its best-ever performance at the South East Asia (SEA) Games, held in Kuala Lumpur.
In 1987, Najib was selected as the acting head of the Movement of UMNO Youth by Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim after Anwar was asked to contest the post of UMNO Vice-President. Following mounting ethnic tensions, anti-Chinese sentiments were expressed at an UMNO Youth rally held in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Fears of ethnic violence eventually resulted in a security operation known as Operasi Lalang which included numerous administrative detentions.
Following the reorganisation and founding the "New" UMNO by Mahathir Mohamad in the aftermath of the 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis, Najib was appointed president of UMNO Youth in 1988.TIMELINE: The rise of Najib, Malaysia's sixth Prime Minister | Reuters . In.reuters.com. Retrieved on 24 October 2011.
Senior ministerial career (1991–2009) Minister for defence (1991–1995) In 1991, Mahathir appointed Najib as Minister of Defence. Under Najib's direction, Malaysian troops were deployed to assist the UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia in 1993 during the Bosnian War. Malaysian forces were greeted warmly by Bosnians as well as Serbs and Croats.Najib: We'll send troops despite Israeli reservations. Thestar.com.my. Retrieved on 24 October 2011. Malaysia also assisted peacekeeping operations in Somalia in 1993, losing one soldier in an effort to aid US soldiers during the Battle of Mogadishu. Najib later criticised the UN's Somalia operation as putting too much emphasis on military action."American soldiers 'held hostage by warlord'," The Herald, 6 October 1993 Since then Malaysia has stated a preference for participating in Chapter 6 "peace enforcement" missions, rather than Chapter 7 "peacekeeping" missions. After four years at the Ministry of Defence, Najib assumed control of the Education Ministry in 1995.
By 1993, Najib was one of six vice-presidents of UMNO after Anwar's decision to contest for the deputy presidency of UMNO. Najib continued to defend his post in party elections held in 1993, 1996, and 2004.
As an UMNO leader, Najib Razak blocked attempts by other UMNO members such as Mustapha Yakub to request Japan apologise and provide compensation for the forced prostitution its soldiers engaged in during its occupation of Malaya and of British Borneo, the victims of which came to be known as comfort women.
Minister for education (1995–2000) In 1995, Najib left the Defence Ministry for the first time when he was appointed Minister of Education. His challenge was to respond to Malaysia's newly proclaimed aspiration to become a fully developed nation by 2020. The 1996 Private Higher Education Institutions Act allowed foreign universities to establish degree-conferring schools in Malaysia, providing greater educational opportunities for Malaysians and positioning Malaysia as a regional learning hub.Najib's Challenge: Clean up UMNO . Malaysiasdilemma.wordpress.com (15 March 2009). Retrieved on 24 October 2011.
During the 1999 general elections Najib was returned to parliament with a narrow majority of just 241 votes, compared to over 10,000 in the previous election.
Return as minister for defence (2000–2008)
During his second tenure as Minister of Defence, Najib coordinated Malaysia's relief efforts following the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, and provided support to Indonesia in arresting those responsible for the 2005 Bali bombings.News . AlertNet. Retrieved on 24 October 2011. Najib also oversaw the deployment of Malaysian troops as a part of a UN peacekeeping force in 2006, when Malaysia volunteered to help stabilise Lebanon following the 2006 Lebanon War.Malaysian troops arrive for U.N. duty in Lebanon . Reuters. Retrieved on 24 October 2011.