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| Najib during his interview with ‘Talk to Al Jazeera’, journalist Veronica Pedrosa which was aired last Saturday. |
Al Jazeera: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, thank you very much for joining us on "Talk To Al Jazeera". We appreciate that it must be an extraordinarily busy and crucial time for you. There are descriptions of the election ahead as being indeed a struggle for the Malay soul, as it were. Do you think that's a fair enough description?
Najib: Let me put it this way, I think this will be a very hard-fought, robust election but I welcome it because in a sense, it is reflective of how far we have come in the democratic process in Malaysia. We are much more matured in that sense. But as a political party, we have been in power for 55 years (and) within this time we have brought some real changes and development in Malaysia. So although I expect this to be a keenly-fought contest, I am cautiously optimistic that the voters will return the Barisan Nasional (BN) national front back into power.
How do you personally feel about that? You've been in politics since you were 22. You come from a political dynasty.
In that sense (yes) but my father died when I entered politics so he was not there to ensure that I rose in politics. I had to do it my way, albeit with a good family name, I have no doubt about that. That helped but I had to fend for myself. I had to show that I could stand on my own. I'm proud of my personal record because I have risen through the ranks step by step and now I am privileged and honoured to be able to lead this country and my party.
