Najib Tun Razak

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Najib Tun Razak is the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.
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Najib Tun Razak is the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak (born July 23, 1953, in Kuala Lipis, Pahang) is a Malaysian politician and has been the country's Deputy Prime Minister since January 7, 2004. Najib is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and is currently its Deputy President.

Najib is the eldest son of Tun Abdul Razak, the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, a nephew of Tun Hussein Onn, the third PM, and a cousin of Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, the current Education Minister of Malaysia. He was first elected to the Dewan Rakyat, representing the parliamentary constituency of Pekan, at the age of 23 in an uncontested election after the death of his father. In his career Najib has held a variety of ministerial portfolios (the first at the age of 32), culminating in the post of Minister of Defence before being chosen as the deputy PM by Abdullah Badawi.

Najib holds the title of Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar of Pahang. His wife is Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor while he has three sons, Nizar (born 1978), Nazifuddin and Norashman, and two daughters, Puteri Norlisa and Nooryana Narjawa.

Najib had his primary and secondary education at St. John's Institution, Kuala Lumpur. He also attended Malvern College, Worcestershire, England. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Nottingham, England in 1974.

In 1987, as UMNO Youth Chief, Najib vociferously defended special Malay privileges in a fiery speech featuring the Malay Keris (dagger) and vowed to bathe the Keris with Chinese blood, shortly before the government launched a crackdown on extremist elements termed Operation Lalang. [1] At the same rally, banners were hoisted carrying phrases such as "revoke the citizenship of those who opposed the Malay rulers", "May 13 has begun" (referring to the May 13 racial riots in 1969), and "soak it (the keris) with Chinese blood". [2]

[edit] Ministerial posts

He has also held these following posts in the government cabinet:

  • (19781980) — Deputy Energy, Telecom and Post Minister
  • (19801981) — Deputy Education Minister
  • (19811982) — Deputy Finance Minister
  • (19821986) — Pahang Chief Minister
  • (19861988) — Culture, Youth and Sports Minister
  • (19881990) — Youth and Sports Minister
  • (19901995) — Defence Minister
  • (19951999) — Education Minister
  • (1999 – present) — Defence Minister

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Kamarudin, Raja Petra (Aug. 1, 2005). "Umno's relevance lies in Ketuanan Melayu". Malaysia Today.
  2. ^ Lim, Kit Siang (2000). "GPMS' extremist demands - a prelude to escalation of ethnic tensions to justify another Operation Lalang mass crackdown to shore up Mahathir and UMNO’s tottering position?". Retrieved Dec. 21, 2005.
Preceded by
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy Prime Ministers of Malaysia
2003-
Succeeded by
incumbent
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