one malaysia: Prime Minister of Malaysia

Dato Sri. Haji Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak

Background

Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak is a Malay name. The name "Tun Razak" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "Mohd. Najib".

Dato' Sri Haji Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak was born in 23 July 1953. He is the sixth and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from January 7, 2004 until he succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister on April 3, 2009. Najib is President of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He is the son of Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak.

Najib succeeded Abdullah at a time after his ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional lost its long held two-thirds majority in parliament to the opposition lead by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the 200 parliamentary election . Since then Najib has tried to build a moderate image for himself and the UMNO through the 1Malaysia campaign.

Appointment as Prime Minister

Najib, became the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia on 3 April 2009. Najib entered office with a focus on domestic economic issues and political reform. On his first day as Prime Minister, Najib announced as his first actions the removal of bans on two opposition newspapers, Suara Keadilan and Harakahdaily, run by the opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led People's Justice Party and the Pan Islamic Party, respectively, and the release of 13 people held under the Internal Security Act. Among the released detainees were two ethnic Indian activists who were arrested in December 2007 for leading an anti-government campaign, three foreigners and eight suspected Islamic militants. Najib also pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of the much-criticized law which allows for indefinite detention without trial. In the speech, he emphasized his commitment to tackling poverty, restructuring Malaysian society, expanding access to quality education for all, and promoting renewed “passion for public service.” He also deferred and abandoned the digital television transition plan of all free-to-air broadcasters such as Radio Televisyen Malaysia.

1Malaysia

1Malaysia is an on-going campaign announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak on September 16, 2008, calling for the cabinet, government agencies, and civil servants to emphasize ethnic harmony, national unity, and efficient governance. The eight values of 1Malaysia as articulated by Najib Razak are perseverance, a culture of excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity, and meritocracy.

On September 17, 2008, Najib launched 1Malaysia.com.my in an effort to communicate with the citizens of Malaysia more efficiently and support the broader 1Malaysia campaign, He has used the site to highlight his policy initiatives and to provide a forum for Malaysians to their government. The 1Malaysia campaign makes extensive use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Events & Activities