Najib Razak

This chapter analyses the strategic populist tactics utilised by Najib Razak, which encompassed a blend of economic populism targeted at mitigating inequality. Najib is seen as a soft populist due to his limited implementation of populist strategies. Furthermore, this chapter examines Najib’s viewpoint on the upper class and individuals from minority communities in order to comprehend his populist approach. Najib’s initiatives, such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia cash distribution to the economically disadvantaged, serve as clear examples of his populist strategy, as they were initially distributed prior to an election cycle. Regrettably, this strategy does not offer an assurance of maintaining power and Najib fell from grace as a result of the 1MDB corruption charges. The chapter concludes that the effectiveness of Najib’s economic populism is constrained when the opposition also uses populist language to portray Najib as a corrupt representative of the ruling elite.