Saturday March 23, 2013

Najib bares his soul to listeners of radio station

By WANI MUTHIAH
wani@thestar.com.my

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak having a light chat with Prince Salman Hamad Al-Khalifa after receiving the crown prince, who is also Bahrain’s Deputy Prime Minister, at his office in Putrajaya. Prince Salman is on a three-day working visit to Malaysia which ends tomorrow. The meeting with Najib marks Bahrain’s highest level visit to Malaysia since 2010. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has shared his personal side and unfulfilled dreams in a radio interview based on questions compiled from listeners.

The Prime Minister said his childhood ambition was to be an athlete but he had to shelve this dream due to his active involvement in politics at young age, upon the untimely demise of his father former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak in 1976.

He said his plans to do the MBA also changed after that.

“I can’t imagine what I would have become if I was not a Prime Minister because I have been a politician since I was just 22,” said Najib in a pre-recorded interview aired by UFM 101.3 yesterday morning.

He also expressed his yearning to drive his own car but was unable to do so due to police restriction.

“But I was allowed to drive from Putrajaya to Majestic Hotel with my family for dinner about two weeks ago. But it was with a police escort.”

The interview, hosted by the station’s in-house presenters Tyzo and Jimmy Shanley, kept away from politics and revolved around personal things about Najib.

The questions for the two-hour morning show, based on trivia information that the public would like to know about the Prime Minister, were compiled from the station’s listeners.

UFM 101.3 is a new radio station related to the 1 Malaysia For Youth campaign, initiated by Najib, and which started broadcasting recently on the 101.3MHz frequency in the Klang Valley area with the slogan Memang Beda (really different).

Najib said he only slept about five to six hours daily, usually drinks a cup of hot chocolate as a nightcap, watches the news and reads books before going to bed.

Asked how many times a day he called his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Najib said whenever he had an outside programme, he would call her at least once a day.

“Wives like their husbands to call, so I have to call lah, said Najib.

He also disclosed that it was Rosmah who chose his attire for the day as she was good at selecting clothes and colour schemes and that he sometimes wore jeans and sarong when at home.

Najib also told listeners that he had to watch his food intake. “I like eating. So I have to control how much I eat because I will put on weight if I don’t.”

He said he worked out at least three times a week and that was his KPI (key performance index) for himself. “I exercise whenever I am able to but I have limited time.

“I work out at a gym and have a personal trainer who puts me through a tough exercise regime,” said Najib, adding that he felt good and light after exercising.

To a question on how he managed to maintain his appearance, Najib said: “If you know how to manage stress, it will be fine,” he said.

Asked how he spends his salary, Najib said it would go into buying groceries and gifts if he had weddings to attend.

On the type of programmes he watches, Najib said he preferred the History Channel and had an interest in history, the military, sports and global issues.

Najib also said that he prayed daily for the country to be safe and prosperous.

News

Saturday March 23, 2013

Najib bares his soul to listeners of radio station

By WANI MUTHIAH wani@thestar.com.my

By WANI MUTHIAH
wani@thestar.com.my