MALAYSIA'S sixth and latest prime minister was overcome with emotion as he attended prayers at his father's grave yesterday.

Prime Minister Najib Razak is son to Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak.

Mr Najib, in pink baju Melayu, went to the National Mausoleum where his father is buried before he was sworn in last night, reported Bernama.

The new PM, who initially was seen to be calm, was overcome with emotion when the chief imam of the national mosque, Tan Sri Syaikh Ismail Muhammad, began reciting prayers.

He was accompanied by wife Rosmah Mansor, his mum and his children.

Prior to attending the prayers, Mr Najib had met his mother at her home to get her blessings on his appointment.

Madam Rahah Noah said that as a child, Mr Najib, being the eldest, got along well with his four brothers and enjoyed playing football and riding the bicycle.

She told Bernama that back then there was no fast food, so her son would eat whatever she cooked and served.

Not fussy eater

'Najib is not a fussy eater, but enjoyed 'ikan patin masak lemak', roti prata, and 'sambal tumis telur'.

Despite his tight schedule, Madam Rahah said, Mr Najib would always call her in his free time and would come over for dinner with his brothers.

A family bodyguard, Mr Idris Shaari Mat Aris, also spoke about the new premier.

He said he was tickled when Mr Najib delivered his first speech as the Member of Parliament for Pekan in 1976.

Mr Idris Shaari, 66, said Mr Najib 'sounded so awkward' when speaking at an event of a parent-teacher association of a school in Pekan, Pahang.

'I could only bear listening to him speak a few sentences in Bahasa Malaysia before hiding in the car with the driver because he sounded so awkward,' Mr Idris said.

'He (Najib) had only returned from England a little over a year earlier and could not speak Bahasa Malaysia very well,' he said.

Mr Idris said Mr Najib was sent to pursue his studies at the Malvern Boys' College in Worcestershire, England, at the age of 12, which explained his lack of fluency in Bahasa Malaysia early in life.

He said Mr Najib was only allowed to return to the country once a year and by the time he returned for good after graduating with an honours degree in industrial economics from the University of Nottingham, England, it was 1974 and he was 21.

'But he was very determined to overcome the adversity. He employed the help of language professors who gave private lessons at his home and he learnt until he is as good as we see him today. (It was) a bid to get closer to the people of his constituency and understand their ways...' Mr Idris said.

He described Mr Najib as a well-mannered child who studied hard and had a great relationship with his four brothers.

'In all my years with them, I have never heard any of them upsetting or bad-mouthing another. The younger ones are always respectful of Najib, not because he is a minister or is now going to be the next prime minister, but because he is their eldest brother,' he said.

He said the brothers are so close that they would make it a point to congregate at their mother's home every Thursday for dinner.

'Although they deeply respect their mother, you can find them freely joking and laughing with her,' he said.

Eldest son Mohd Nizar, 31, and daughter Puteri Norlisa, 28, also spoke about their father. 'Being a politician, time with the family is quite limited. He has to make a lot of sacrifices to carry out his tasks as a politician but makes a point to see us whenever he can,' said Mr Mohd Nizar.

Mr Mohd Nizar, a management consultant, said his father always stressed the importance of education, working hard and not giving up.

'For example, when I was studying for my chartered accountancy exams, which were very difficult, he advised me to keep trying and never to give up. I succeeded.

'He said this was important because many people gave up when they were already nearing the pinnacle of success,' he said.

Puteri Norlisa said her father would constantly call, SMS or visit her when she was studying in England to make sure that she was doing alright.

She has just returned to Malaysia three months ago after spending 10 years studying and working in England.

Both siblings went to the University of Nottingham, Mr Najib's alma mater.

When asked how they dealt with the unpleasant rumours surrounding Mr Najib in the past two years, Mr Mohd Nizar said: 'We believe in him and what he stands for, the allegations thrown to him were baseless and unfair.

'It is normal for politicians to go through this and his detractors will stop at nothing to put him in a very bad light, but as a son, I believe he has a good heart.'

Najib frees 13 ISA detainees

MALAYSIA'S new prime minister, Mr Najib Razak, announced the release of 13 people held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Those freed include two ethnic Indian activists who were arrested in December 2007 for leading an anti-government campaign, three foreigners and eight suspected Islamic militants, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar announced separately.

Mr Najib also revoked a ban on two newspapers in his first act after taking office yesterday.

Officials said the two papers were Suara Keadilan, run by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan, and Harakah, published by the Islamic party PAS.

The papers had been banned for three months earlier this month after they reported on a political crisis in Perak in February.

Mr Najib said he would also review the the ISA which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

This article was first published in The New Paper .