Najib Razak

Najib Razak or Najib Tun Razak (näjēb' tūn rä'zäk), 1958-, Malaysian politician. A Malay, he is a member of a prominent political family, the son of Malaysia's second prime minister, Abdul Razak, and the nephew of its third, Hussein Onn. Trained as an economist and a member of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Najib was elected to parliament at 22 and later served in several deputy ministerial posts. He has tended to favor authoritarian policies and like his father has advocated preferential treatment for Malays. Defense minister from 2004 to 2008 and finance minister from 2008, he also served as deputy prime minister under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from 2004. UMNO electoral losses in 2008 forced Abdullah to resign his party leadership post in Mar., 2009; Najib succeeded him as party leader and, in Apr., 2009, as prime minister.