Friday, April 02, 2010

PM Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak: What a year!


Najib Abdul Razak found his first year as Prime Minister a "thrilling journey" and said he revelled in the warm smiles of the common people and shaking hands with them.

During the past 12 months, he had pushed and challenged himself to reach an exemplary level to deliver to the rakyat, even as he entrusted his Cabinet with greater efficiency, Najib said in his blog posting Friday.

Little things matterpm

"Inevitably, thanks to these rigours, my days have grown longer and my nights shorter. "It is perhaps, because of such demands that I find great meaning in the small things such as warm genuine smiles and handshakes of common Malaysians, which sometimes give me as much a thrill as shaking hands with world leaders," he wrote.

Najib was sworn in as the country's sixth prime minister on April 3 last year.

The past year has witnessed the prime minister criss-crossing the country and going on walkabouts to meet the people and listen to their problems and ideas.

In the blog, he also gave a peek into his life outside the office, the books he reads and his dates with the treadmill.

"I am sure many of you agree with me that it is imperative for us to lead a life of balance between work and personal life.
"Not only does it allow us to spend some quality time with family and friends, a balanced life can improve productivity, thinking and decision-making," he said.

Calming exercises


Physical exercise brought calm and energy to his daily schedule and allowed him to focus better on important matters and achieve more productive hours, he said.

The prime miniter said he hit the treadmill two to three times a week to help him deal with the amount of travel he undertook within the country and abroad.

"In the international arena, we must continue to place Malaysia positively, This is important as we are a small open economy that relies heavily on international trade," he said.

Najib revealed he read a few books at a time and the latest were 'When China Rules The World' by Martin Jacques and 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell.

Golfing whenever he can spare

Although rarer these days, he tries to play a round of golf or watch television, he added.

"As I look towards and consider the important targets that have been set by ourselves in 2010, I accept that it will not be smooth-sailing at all times in the months ahead.

"However, I believe that by sharing the burden and paddling in the same direction together, we can achieve our goals," he said. — Malaysian Mirror

What the public thinks

A Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research survey said the proportion of Malaysians satisfied with Najib's performance stood at 68% after a year in office.

His approval rating was a dismal 44% when he took over as the economy was slipping into unforgiving negative territory, and he seemed vulnerable as he was pelted by bad news everywhere he turned.-Malaysian Mirror

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