Rafidah: Not easy for Najib to live up to his father

It is not easy for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to live up to the standards of his late father Abdul Razak Hussein who was the nation's second prime minister.

Former minister Rafidah Aziz said this in a note on her Facebook page this evening after attending the commemorative conference on Abdul Razak yesterday for which Najib was also present.

"I was touched when the prime minister, at the end of his speech, was teary, when he said that everyday he works to live up to Razak's lineage.

"It can never be easy to live up to the high standards and exemplary leadership of his late father, especially when he was brought up and worked in a different and continually changing environment," she said.

She added that being prime minister was not something to envy as it came with heavy responsibilities.

Rafidah said while things were continually changing, the things that should remain constant, namely core values and principles, should be passed on from generation to generation.

"These also include integrity and trustworthiness, a sense of responsibility and accountability, discipline, humility (and) respect for others," she said.

She added that the prime minister should steadfastly hold on to these core values and principles which characterise good leadership.

Rafidah added the prime minister should also do away with the 'my people' syndrome, which she said was quote common in politics.

"Like in the case of Razak, it should be that the entire population is 'my people' to the prime minister," she said.

Well-tested politics

She said that serious efforts must also be made to put things rights and to allay further concerns and worries.

"These may be trying times for us and more so for the prime minister as his own leadership is being severely tested.

"May the prime minister muster all the strength and conviction in him to quickly resolve the problems and issues facing us and like the late Razak, his father, lead Malaysia to greater successes and be guided by and adhere to the well-tested politics of national development and national unity.

"Only then can the exemplary leadership legacy be continued. Whatever the prime minister does, it is hoped that he will always bear this in mind.

"It is better to have the Almighty approve than the world applaud," she said. -Mkini