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Political Leadership/
Democracy Building
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016714
Malaysia under Najib Razak
Chpa Chittpratoom, Researcher, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
Abstract
This paper examines the political and executive leadership in Malaysia, with reference
to the sixth Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak. The Prime Minister is an
important autonomous actor, leading the government party and managing public
bureaucracy. More importantly Najib is seen as the leader of the people. The political
agenda depends on the Prime Minister’s authority to either impact or bring changes.
This paper will address the Najib’s leadership style in the executive and policy-
making spheres. It will also discuss what kind of influences he provides in policy-
making and its implications in Malaysia’s political environment.
Keywords: Najib Razak/United Malays National Organization/Barisan Nasional/
Leadership/Malaysia
Introduction
Since gaining independence in 1957, Malaysia has been under the respective
leadership of six Prime Ministers, each possessing his own values and authority
required to accommodate the needs and surroundings of which they led while in
power. The 6th Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak presided as the country’s
leader on April 3, 2009. This date plays a significant role in the history of Malaysian
political leadership, due mainly to the stepping down of Tun Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi. Najib announced his inaugural Cabinet on 9 April 2009.
This paper will attempt to study the factors which may be associated with Najib’s
leadership style and its implications towards his attitude and behaviour of political
leadership. The following section will provide emphasis on Najib’s background and
the history of his involvement in the world of politics which will help to evaluate how
each phase of his life grealty influenced his style of administrative leadership as the
sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Who is Najib Razak?
Najib, the eldest son of the second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, was
born in the district of Kuala Lipis in the state of Pahang. He received his primary
education at one of the country's leading schools--St. John's Institution. He continued
his secondary education at the Malvern Boys’ College in Worcestershire,
England.Upon completion of his secondary education, Najib enrolled at the
University of Nottingham and graduated in 1974 in Industrial Economics. Najib is
married to Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor and has five children..
On his return to Malaysia in the same year, Najib joined the national oil company
Petronas as an executive where he served for two years before taking the plunge into
politics following the sudden demise of his father in 1976. He was the obvious
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016715
choice of the ruling National Front coalition to contest the Pekan parliamentary seat
left vacant by his late father. The national outpouring of grief following Tun Razak's
death and the respect for his father’s tremendous contributions to Malaysia's
development saw Najib elected unopposed as Member of Parliament at the very
young age of 23.
This marked the start of Najib’s long association with politics and government
service. Following his unopposed victory as Member of Parliament in 1976, Najib
was appointed the Deputy Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Post. He
later served as Deputy Minister of Education and Deputy Minister of Finance. In the
1982 general elections, he stood in the state seat of Bandar Pekan and was
subsequently appointed the Menteri Besar of Pahang until 1986.
Following the general elections in 1986 where he re-contested and won the
parliamentary seat of Pekan, Najib was appointed the Minister of Culture, Youth and
Sports. Under his stewardship, Malaysia had its best ever showing in the SEA Games
where the country emerged top in the medal tally for the first time in the history of
the games. He also introduced the National Sports Policy which outlined the
development of sports in the country and introduced monetary incentives for
Malaysian athletes who won medals at the Olympics.
A paper read at the 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees Good
Governance and Transformative Leadership, at COPAG, Mahasarakham University,
31 May 2016. In 1990, Najib was appointed Minister of Defence, a senior position
within the government by the then Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He embarked on the modernisation of the armed forces, making it a leaner fighting
force capable of handling any conventional threats. This, among others, saw
Malaysia's acquisition of new assets such as the Russian MiG 29 aircraft, the Boeing
F18 Super Hornet, the F-2000 frigates, the 155 m artillery gun and the upgrading of
the country's air defense with the acquisition of a new radar system. The welfare and
well-being of the armed forces personnel were given due attention including
improvement to their housing facilities and allowances.
In 1995, Najib was appointed to a much more prominent ministry, the Ministry of
Education. During his tenure, the country's education system underwent a major
reform with the passing of six laws, the main one being
the Education Act 1996, to facilitate a more market-driven education system.
The legal framework saw the country's education system undergo massive reforms
and sweeping changes to institutions of learning. It allowed them to offer a wider
range of courses, different options and approaches to learning and new teaching
methods. Today, there are greater choices and places for Malaysians to pursue their
higher education locally or abroad. In addition, an increasing number of foreign
students are pursuing their studies at institutions of learning in Malaysia.
Indeed, Najib had a major role in this move to build a world-class education system
that is flexible and innovative in Malaysia as well as turning the country into a
regional education hub and center of excellence. Apart from that, due attention was
given the well-being of teachers with the introduction of time-based promotion, a
better starting salary for new teachers and special housing projects for teachers.
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016716
During the 1999 general elections, Najib received a major setback when he scraped
through with a majority of 241 votes for the predominantly Malay Pekan
parliamentary seat compared to the over 10,000 majority in the previous election. It
came as a shock for him and political observers. However, it was not a complete
surprise as the election came at the height of the 1999 political upheaval.
Following the elections, he was appointed Minister of Defence for the second time
and continued with the modernisation of the armed forces which had come to a halt
following the financial crisis of 1997. Major acquisitions included the purchase of the
new Russian fighter aircraft, Sukhoi Su30 MKM, submarines which the Royal
Malaysian Navy had sought after for years and Polish tanks. The short-range air-
defense system, Jernas, was also acquired for the army. For armed forces personnel,
several allowances were raised in particular the flying allowances for air force pilots
and higher starting salaries for new recruits. The 2004 general elections which came a
few months after Najib’s elevation as the Deputy Prime Minister saw him winning his
parliamentary seat with a whopping 22,922 majority. It was one of the highest
majorities in the elections and undoubtedly the most improved performance by a
candidate.
In the 2008 general elections, Najib was re-elected to the Pekan parliamentary seat
with a majority of 26,464. It was the highest majority for Barisan Nasional despite the
overall drop in support for the coalition government in the general elections.
He remained the Minister of Defence until September 2008 when he took over as
Minister of Finance from Abdullah in 2008. In March 2009, Najib was elected
unopposed as Umno President after Abdullah decided not to seek re-election.
Subsequently, Abdullah announced in April that he was stepping down and Najib was
sworn in as Prime Minister. He continued to hold the post of Finance Minister.
(Office of The Prime Minister of Malaysia, 30 April 2012)
Najib as Prime Minister (2009 – )
Transformation of Malaysia
Under his premiership, the nation embarked on a journey of transformation within
Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi-religious context. If Malaysia is to achieve its
objective of Vision 2020, the transformation must start from the 1.2 million members
of the civil service. Najib has already begun the nation’s transformation program
based on the Eight Pillars consisting of four key thrusts and four complementary
values in his administration of the government.
The four key thrusts are the “1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” concept,
Government Transformation Programme (GTP), New Economic Model (NEM) and
the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP). The four complementary values are: a culture of
creativity and innovation, priority in prompt action-doing and decision-making;
striving to provide value for taxpayers’ money; and giving emphasis to the virtue of
integrity at work. The first two pillars are to unite and give priority to the people of
Malaysia. The third and fourth pillars, namely the NEM and 10MP are two economic
strategies that will provide a road map of the country’s direction in the immediate,
medium and long terms. The four key thrusts and four complementary values are
supporting one another.
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016717
His initial entry into office was not easy with major challenges inherited from the
previous administration. He was further weighted with the economic downturn and
alarming deficit levels that hit Malaysian shores and the rest of the world. Topping his
list then were radical political reforms and spurring domestic economic initiatives. To
restore political confidence, his immediate strategy was the 1Malaysia concept. The
message of unity in diversity is the key element in order to leverage a change in the
government service and in order to affect changes to the Malaysian populace at large.
The business community too demanded a reform, both internally and externally. The
Premier quickly saw the need for a comprehensive master plan that included logical
economic stimulus packages, bold moves to liberalize both the services and financial
sectors, formation of the Special Taskforce to Facilitate Business (PEMUDAH) and
the GTP, thus making way for the entry of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and
Key Performance Review Areas (KPRAs) in government service.
Under the Prime Minister, the government implemented many measures to increase
transparency and accountability. These include the use of KPRAs and KPIs to hold
Ministers and their ministries accountable for their performance results. Other
measures include opening up previously closed government tenders to public scrutiny
and participation as well as asking for public feedback on government spending
through the transformation of the Public Inquiry Commission spearheaded by non-
partisan community and business leaders. The Prime Minister championed the use of
emerging technologies such as the 1Malaysia website and new social media such as
Twitter and Facebook to communicate with the people and to be hands-on with the
recent developments. It is estimated that an astounding figure of 180,000 fans are in
contact directly with him through Facebook. (The Leaders, 8 February 2013)
In his maiden speech as Prime Minister, he placed emphasis on his commitment to
eradicating poverty, reforming Malaysian society, expanding equal access to quality
education for all and promoting excellence and passion for public service.
Malaysia: People First, Performance Now
Initially, the 1Malaysia concept was announced by Najib on 16th September 2008,
before he assumed premiership. The working concept for 1Malaysia calls for the
Cabinet, government agencies and civil servants to focus on national unity, ethnic
harmony and efficient governance. This working concept was later championed and
broadened to include all the people of Malaysia. The 8 core values expounded are:
perseverance, excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity and
meritocracy. To summarize, he clearly wanted to implant unity as the main key
element to nation building, factoring in everyone, regardless of beliefs and political
agenda, in order to achieve a common goal of prospering the nation, while setting
commendable benchmarks for the next generation to follow. This concept received
favorable response from the people, many of whom found it to be a worthwhile cause
to follow.
The Government Transformation Programme (GTP)
Najib also launched the Government Transformation Programme to improve the
quality of public services, increase efficiency and make the government more
transparent. The programme sets key performance indicators to measure the
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016718
performance of officials and agencies and national key result areas to define goals for
specific areas of public policy. He also introduced a new cabinet position in charge of
unity and performance management to implement the KPI system.
The GTP is an aggressive and bold plan designed to re-vitalize the Government
machinery in tackling the country’s outstanding woes in the following key areas:
Reducing crime
Fighting corruption
Improving student outcome
Implementing rural basic infrastructures
Implementing public transport
Raising living standards of low income households
This program involves all government ministries and related agencies, calling for
new ways to solve existing issues and a drastic mindset change to prioritize public
service above one’s self. These steps proved to be formidable as a majority of the
government agencies are quite set in their ways of governance of the public at large.
However, some worthy changes are noticeable, especially in agencies such as the
Education Program for Employers (EPF), Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia
(Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negari – LHDN) and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO).
Not spared were direct services to clients-based ministries, many of whom have
begun focusing on customer care as their core value. The Premier enforced a very
stringent set of guidelines and must-have criteria to ensure consistency of delivering
good services to the general public, tax payers and economic generators of the nation.
Economic Liberalization Initiatives
To drive the nation forward, Najib introduced the New Economic Model with reforms
to create a business environment conducive to economic growth, development and
investment. The goal is to make Malaysia a high-income nation and a developed
country by 2020. Transformation and further liberalisation of the economy are vital to
this.
These initiatives called for the implementation of specific measures designed to
maintain and attract foreign direct investment due to global competition for this vital
resource. Some of these measures include allowing foreign investors to hold majority
stakes in most enterprises with the exception of certain “strategic” areas such a
telecom-munications, energy, banking and financial institutions, easing the authority
of the Foreign Investment Committee and reducing the minimum quota for Malay
ownership in publicly traded companies from 30 percent to 12.5 percent. These
measures received favorable response by foreign investors. (The Star Online, 28 April
2015)
Prime Minister Najib has introduced ‘changes’ in the following areas:
Cabinet
2009
Keeping his promise to make the government smaller but more efficient, Najib has
done away with two ministries, their portfolios folded into the newly formed Ministry
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016719
of Energy, Green Technology and Water. He has appointed a total of 28 ministers –
four fewer than the last regime. He also appointed Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon to be
the Minister of Unity and Performance, reflecting his commitment to reducing ethnic
and religious tension. This year also saw the appointment of Dato’ Sri Idris Jala to
strengthen the KPIs areas of focus and the creation of brainstorming incubators (new
concept) to improve governance. (Malaysiakini Online, 9 April 2009)
2013
The country’s administration which had once involved 3 main parties representing its
ethnicities now fell to the leader of UMNO as the only elected party. Najib
repositioned the new government to reflect this, which Sabah and Sarawak received 8
ministerial positions as coalitions who managed to maintain their seats. He gave
politicians and non-politicians a 70:30 share of the seats to push the nation towards
the Vision 2020 goal. Najib hoped to achieve this by enlisting professionals such as
Idris Jala to take part in the reformation of the government service system and drive
the economy. His other recruits included Abdul Wahid Omar, President and CEO of
Maybank, and Paul Low, President of Transparency International Malaysia.The
Second Najib Cabinet consisted of 30 ministers and 26 deputy ministers, 6 of which
are senators.( Shukry,2013)
2014
The Third Najib Cabinet reshuffle was a result of the MCA and Gerakan parties’
decision to join the government after the Hindraf leader resigned from all government
positions.(Malaysian Today Online, 25 June 2014)
2015
Finally, the removal of the Deputy Prime Minister led to vacancies in government
positions. The Fourth Najib Cabinet made 9 changes including 1 minister controlling
concurrent posts, 1 minister changing ministries, and 7 new ministers.(Shazli, 2015)
Other Areas of Initiative
Foreign Relations and Overseas State Visits
From the onset of his premiership, the Prime Minister has worked relentlessly on
enhancing foreign relationships and to solicit foreign investments by overseas state
visits. An overview of the countries visited and results:
China
Najib made a four-day visit to China on 2–5 June 2009. During the visit, Najib
mentioned his family's special relationship with China, noting that his father--
Malaysia's second Prime Minister--first established diplomatic relations with China in
1974. During the visit, several substantive issues were discussed in meetings between
Najib and Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The two
sides signed an endorsed strategic action plan covering 13 major areas, which will
serve as the guideline for relations between Malaysia and China. Najib described the
trip as most fruitful. He also received an honorary doctorate in international relations
from the Beijing Foreign Studies University. (Xinhua Online, 3 June 2009)
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016720
Malaysian and Chinese officials meet together at the Strategic Consultation meetings
which are held alternately between Malaysia and China every year. The Strategic
Consultation meetings began as bilateral consultations in 1991. The consultation
meetings were made to share and exchange views on various bilateral, regional and
issues of mutual interest and also to follow up on matters discussed by the leaders of
both countries. The bilateral consultations were later renamed as strategic consultation
in 2010 to reflect the growing importance of Malaysia-China relations within the
political-security framework of the Asia-Pacific region. The first one was held
in Putrajaya in 2011 while the second was held in Beijing in 2012.
Bilateral exchange activities that have been done by Malaysia and China are, as of
2012, the establishment of China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and Malaysia-
China Kuantan Industrial Park in (the latter officially opened on 5 February 2013),
and the speedy approval by China to loan a pair of giant pandas to Malaysia. Both
countries also exchange views on current developments happening in the Southeast
Asia. Both countries are adhered to the letter Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the SEA (South East Asia) which continues the peace and stability that benefits China
and the South East Asia region.
On 28 August 2012, Malaysia and China officials at the 2nd Strategic Consultation
between Malaysia and China in Beijing agreed to make 2014 the “Malaysia-China
Friendship Year” to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations. The Malaysian delegation led by the Malaysia's Foreign
Ministry's secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and China's Vice-
Foreign Minister Fu Ying also agreed that appropriate activities would be organised to
celebrate the occasion.
On 16 April 2014, China planned to send two pairs of pandas named Fu Wa and Feng
Yi to Malaysia to mark their 40-year anniversary of diplomatic ties, but were
postponed following the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 incident. The two pandas later
arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 21 May 2014 and were placed at the
National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara).(Nik Anis, 2014)
India
Najib travelled to India on a five-day state visit in January 2010. His 200-strong
entourage included cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, state government officials,
members of parliament, and prominent business leaders. During his visit, Najib
pushed for a free-trade agreement and co-operation across a wide range of fields. He
and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed an extradition treaty and
agreements to co-operate in the areas of higher education and finance. The two
countries agreed to sign a free-trade agreement before the end of 2010 and Najib
called for signing a "Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement" by the same
date. These economic agreements resulted in plans for RM 1.6 trillion in investment
for Malaysia. In January 2010, Najib announced plans to develop a new visa regime
for Indian nationals, specifically for managers and knowledge workers to visit
Malaysia. (Embassy of India)
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016721
USA
Najib and President Barack Obama met just before the Nuclear Security Summit in
Washington on 12 April 2010. This meeting was thought by many to represent a
significant improvement in relations. This was their first one-on-one meeting. During
their talk, Obama sought further assistance from Malaysia in stemming nuclear
proliferation, which Obama described as the greatest threat to world security. During
the summit, Najib stressed that Malaysia only supported nuclear programmes
designed for peaceful purposes. Najib's attendance at the summit was part of a week-
long official visit to the United States.
On 16 May 2011, Najib made a working visit to the United States from May 16 to 24,
2011, in a bid to further bilateral ties in commerce and science. (People’s Daily
Online, 16 May 2011). On 21 October 2013, Secretary Of State, John Kerry and
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker visited Kuala Lumpur to participate in the
Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Secretary Kerry visited Malaysia again from 4 to 6
August 2015 to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). On 26 April 2014,
President Barack Obama made a state visit to Malaysia. (The Star Online, 2 May
2014) He is the second US President to visit Malaysia since Lyndon B. Johnson in
1966.
Singapore
Najib made a two-day visit to Singapore on 21–22 May 2009 during which, both
Najib and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agreed to move bilateral
relations forward in a more productive manner and will either set aside or resolve the
"legacy" problems between the two countries. During a speech in Singapore, Najib
said he hoped his visit would signal "the beginning of a new era" between the two
countries. (Prime Minister Office Singapore, 22 May 2009)
In 2010 Najib resolved a key diplomatic problem between the two countries by
ending the impasse over transportation links and Singaporean investment in Iskandar
Malaysia. Najib and Lee Hsien Loong agreed to modify the Points of Agreement
signed in 1990. Specifically, the two sides promised to move the KTM railway station
from Tanjung Pagar to Woodlands, set up a joint venture to be called M-S Pte Ltd to
develop Marina One, and DUO in Bugis but the railway tracks were replaced by the
"Green Corridor", develop a rapid transit and high-speed rail links, and allow
Temasek and Khazanah to set up a joint venture for the purpose of developing a town
in Iskandar Malaysia.
Singapore and Malaysia also agreed to build the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High
Speed Rail in 2013. The project is expected to be completed by 2020, and would
connect Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru to Singapore.
Indonesia
Najib made a visit to Indonesia on 22–24 April 2009. Several issues were discussed,
including co-operation in the tourism, oil and gas, and high-technology industries, as
well as electricity supply from the Bakun dam to Kalimantan. Najib and his entourage
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016722
also attended an official dinner hosted by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and his wife Ani Yudhoyono. (The Sunday Daily Online, 24 April 2009)
Philippines and the Moro people of Mindanao
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has always favoured Malaysia as a mediator in
their effort to become an autonomous state. On 15 October 2012, the Moro rebels and
the Philippines authority devised a peace agreement to maintain the safety and
security of the nation. Malaysia plays an important part in making this particular
notion accepted by both parties. Najib follows his father the late Tun Abdul Razak in
becoming a key figure in promoting peace and harmony in the region. During the
official ceremony of signing the agreement, the Malaysian government was invited as
a witness to the long due treaty. Malaysia played an important part, not just as a
mediator but also as a confidante for both the Philippines government and also the
MORO rebels (now a valid authority in Mindanao)
(Official Gazette, 15 October 2012)
Challenges and controversies
Corruption
Najib faced corruption allegations over the purchase of two French submarines in
2002 while he was defence minister. Najib denied any wrongdoing. (Sithraputhran,
2012)
Aviation
In 2014, Malaysia was rocked by two aviation disasters - the disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines MH370 in March of that year, and the shooting down of MH17 in
Ukraine in July. Najib and his team of leaders came under fire for mismanaging the
government's response to the first incident and providing inadequate and tardy
information to families. He learnt his lesson with a speedier response to the MH17
incident, and successfully negotiated with Ukrainian rebel leaders to secure the
bodies of victims and the flight recorders. (Xinhua Online, 21 December 2014)
1MBD
One of the most politically damaging accusations to be levelled at Najib relates to the
ailing 1Malaysia Development Berhad state investment fund (1MBD). Created in
2009 with the aim of transforming the country into a high-income economy, the fund
however racked up a huge debt, and Najib has been accused of transferring nearly
$700m (£450m) from the fund to his personal bank accounts.
Najib has denied this allegation, saying he is a victim of "political sabotage". He
accused former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed--who remains influential in
Malaysian politics and has called for Najib's resignation--of orchestrating a smear
campaign. Najib refused to step down and in July 2015 he replaced his deputy who
had criticised his handling of the affair. The attorney-general investigating the case
was also dismissed for health reasons. The anti-corruption commission later said that
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016723
the money in Najib's account was a donation from Middle Eastern supporters, not
from 1MDB.
In January 2016 the new attorney-general cleared Najib of wrongdoing, saying the
money had come as a personal donation from the Saudi royal family, and that Najib
had returned $620m of the money. (Murad, 2016)
Critics however say there are many still unanswered questions. The urgent need for
transparency led the government to establish the National Consultative Committee on
Political Funding (NCCPF/ JKNMPP) to oversee such matters. Its aims were to
establish regulations on donations to political parties.
On August 14, 2015 Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the formation
of the bipartisan panel to gather input for a law to regulate political funding, saying
this was necessary to ensure the country practiced “healthy” politics. (Free Malaysia
Today Online, 14 August 2015)
The consultative committee would come up with an action plan for political funding
through reforms and improvement of the law within one year and implement it before
the 14th General Election (GE14). Najib said he had personally raised the matter
since 2009 but this did not get any response.
Poll
Najib Razak’s approval rating as prime minister fell again
According to a survey by Merdeka Center conducted from January 21 to 30, sampled
1,008 voters aged 21
and above across peninsula Malaysia show that rating dropping four percentage points
to 44 per cent.
In the previous edition of the survey last October, Najib recorded a positive rating of
48 per cent, down from 54 per cent in August and his personal best of 72 per cent in
May 2010.The negative sentiments were largely driven by economic factors, such as
concerns over high cost of living, the general condition of the economy, as well as
concerns over the impact of the upcoming implementation of the Goods and Services
Tax (GST) on the public. (Malay Mail Online, 27 February 2015)
An overwhelming majority of university students no longer support the
administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak
According to a survey by youth group the Challenger, the survey conducted on youth
aged between 18 and 30.The poll off 5,006 Malaysian students attending universities
both in and outside Malaysia showed that 4,586 (91.61%) had lost confidence in Najib’s
administration. Asked if they believed Najib was a leader with integrity, 4,460 (89.09%)
of the respondents replied with a resounding “no”. Asked what actions the government
should take to recapture the hearts of Malaysian youths, 4,889 respondents, who
answered this question, said it included an increase in job opportunities and wages to
cope with the rising cost of living. (Firdaws, 2016)
The 4th International Conference on Magsaysay Awardees:
Good Governance and Transformative Leadership in Asia, 31 May 2016724
Conclusion
Najib, as the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, saw a real test of his perseverance to
withstand internal and external challenges facing the nation. In all fairness, he had to
inherit several unsolved challenges from the previous administration. As a leader with
a specific mission and the country’s interests at heart, he has introduced several
initiatives to help steer the country out of the economic slump as well as bring the
people of Malaysia together despite their differences in race, religion, creed, and
language. By propagating unity to overcome problems faced, he is starting to change
the people’s mindset; to be more proactive rather than waiting for it to happen. He has
asked for feedback via websites and social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook
in order to communicate with the people as a whole.
Internal factors shaking the Premier’s integrity such as the lack of financial
transparency spread into a crisis of the nation’s credibility. Amidst the economic
down turn and weakened Ringgit, will the government be able to restore the faith?
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