Next Malaysian leader to follow father's footsteps

The Associated Press

Published: October 9, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Najib Razak, who is poised to become Malaysia's sixth prime minister, comes from a family of political aristocrats that produced two of the country's last five leaders.

Respected for his sharp intellect and unflappable demeanor, Najib was always expected to take power someday. But he will do so sooner than predicted in an effort to restore the ruling coalition's fortunes after a calamitous performance in March general elections.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced Wednesday that he would hand power in March 2009 to Najib, his current deputy whose mettle has been increasingly tested by opposition attempts to link him to corruption, sexual impropriety and even murder.

"He has the experience, faced the challenges. He is a very polished politician, well-trained, well-exposed," said Mohamad Mustafa Ishak, a political analyst at Universiti Utara Malaysia.
"People have high hopes for Najib," he said.

Najib's father and uncle served as prime ministers in the 1970s. Najib, 55, earned an economics degree from the University of Nottingham in Britain and returned home to work for the central bank and the national oil company.

He entered politics only after his father, Abdul Razak, died from leukemia in 1976. Five weeks later, a 22-year-old Najib was elected into Parliament, becoming the youngest lawmaker ever at the time.

In 1991, he became defense minister and modernized the armed forces with high-tech acquisitions.
When Abdullah became premier in 2003, he made Najib his deputy and probable successor. Najib was expected to bide his time until Abdullah completed what many expected to be at least two five-year terms in office.

The government's loss of its longtime two-thirds parliamentary majority in March elections was the catalyst for Najib to take over the premiership.
The mild-mannered Abdullah, 68, faced months of pressure to let a new leader confront mounting economic headaches and a resurgent opposition, led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, that hopes to topple the government through parliamentary defections.