KUALA LUMPUR: Comparisons have been drawn between father and son
ever since Datuk Seri Najib Razak became prime minister, and Saturday
night’s launch of the Barisan Nasional (BN) general election manifesto
threw up remarkable similarities between the two in leading the nation.
More than four decades set apart the administrations of the two but the mindset and focus remain extraordinarily alike.
Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who was prime minister between 1970 and 1976, never used slogans like “People First” and “Performance Now” but those were precisely the basis of the strategies and actions he took.
As political scientist Dr Chandra Muzaffar pointed out, Tun Razak brought about transformation of the nation in several ways, at a time when Malaysia was striving to recover from its worst racial riots, following a weak performance bythe ruling Alliance, BN’s predecessor, in the 1969 General Election.
Tun Razak moved swiftly to tackle the economic and social disparities among thevarious communities through policies, strategies and programmes thatare nowadays, described as transformational.
Chandra told a TV forum immediately after the launch of the BN manifesto that trust was a vital ingredient for effective leadership, which Tun Razak nurtured – and subsequently enjoyed - among all communities.
More than four decades set apart the administrations of the two but the mindset and focus remain extraordinarily alike.
Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who was prime minister between 1970 and 1976, never used slogans like “People First” and “Performance Now” but those were precisely the basis of the strategies and actions he took.
As political scientist Dr Chandra Muzaffar pointed out, Tun Razak brought about transformation of the nation in several ways, at a time when Malaysia was striving to recover from its worst racial riots, following a weak performance bythe ruling Alliance, BN’s predecessor, in the 1969 General Election.
Tun Razak moved swiftly to tackle the economic and social disparities among thevarious communities through policies, strategies and programmes thatare nowadays, described as transformational.
Chandra told a TV forum immediately after the launch of the BN manifesto that trust was a vital ingredient for effective leadership, which Tun Razak nurtured – and subsequently enjoyed - among all communities.
