Najib Pens Goodbye Message To Family, Says He’s Dedicated 46 Years To People & Politics

Najib Leaves Goodbye Message For Family Before Going To Jail

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has begun serving his 12-year jail sentence for the misuse of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.

Prior to his imprisonment, he penned a goodbye message to his family, which has now been made public.

In it, he looks back on his decades-long career in public service and speaks about the highs and lows of politics.

He also expresses regret for how the demands of his work kept him away from family, calling it a ‘sacrifice’ he chose and made.

Najib reflects on 46-year long career in goodbye message

Mr Najib’s family posted the message on his Facebook page yesterday (23 Aug), hours after he was sent to prison.

At the bottom of the message, the family stated that it was left behind on a table by the family patriarch, who is referred to as ‘daddy’.

It is also accompanied by a picture of the former premier in a tender moment with his grandchild.

After addressing his family, Mr Najib reminisces on his first foray into politics in 1976 when he was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia.

Calling 46 years of public service a long time, he added that he chose this line of work so he could inherit his father’s legacy and continue his efforts.

For context, Mr Najib is the son of another former Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdul Razak Hussein.

He then elaborates on the challenges faced in the world of public service and politics, saying that they have their pros and cons.

Duties like managing the economy and people’s welfare put a smile on his face whenever he succeeded.

However, he admits that some did not turn out the way he hoped, though it never deterred him from trying again.

Najib calls his work a ‘huge sacrifice’ for family

Looking back, Mr Najib says the years he spent working were a huge sacrifice, which came and went in a flash.

He sheds light on the hectic nature of his job, where there was always something to attend to from day to night.

From mealtimes spent in meetings to entertaining guests, he did not get to spend a lot of time by his family’s side.

As such, he feels that his years have been “dedicated to people, public service, (and) politics”.

While his family’s presence has made his journey ‘joyous’, Mr Najib regrets overlooking and not always being there for them.

Although his time with them is now up, he says he holds steadfast to his religious teachings and accepts it as a test from Allah.

He concludes by hoping that his family will be blessed with good health and reunite with him in the afterlife.

Mixed reactions from netizens to goodbye message

The message has incited a wide range of reactions from netizens, with politicians and national athletes among them.

One netizen questioned why Mr Najib did not inherit his father’s honest and trustworthy nature instead.

They even went on to call out his wife, Rosmah Mansor, saying that Abdul Razak Hussein’s wife never interfered in government matters or spent on luxurious goods as she had.

Rajiv Rishyakaran, who is a Malaysian politician himself, said he should have made better choices along the way.

Others took jibes at the message, including another Malaysian politician named Phoong Jin Zhe, who commented with a succinct ‘Ok’.

Another referenced Najib’s popularity on social media and asked who would take over Facebook after this, saying that the people would miss his ‘trolling’ posts.

Nonetheless, it appears that the majority of commenters empathised with Mr Najib.

Many, like former senator Tunku Abdul Aziz, offered messages of support.

Men’s doubles player Tan Boon Heong called him ‘Bossku’ (my boss), the nickname given to Mr Najib by Malaysian netizens.

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Featured image adapted from Najib Razak on Facebook and The Star.