Over a year after former prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was imprisoned, his daughter, Nooryana continues to fight for his innocence.
She shares some of the family's struggles and pains in an interview with The Vibes, having to go through life without the "pillar" of the family.
The Vibes: Could you please share some insights into your personal experiences and challenges while your father is away? How has this impacted you and your family?
Nooryana: We are an extremely tight-knit family. I miss the intimate moments with him – watching EPL games on late Saturday nights, Sunday morning breakfast with the grandchildren then competing as to who will get to the gym earliest in the morning.
Home life is full of laughter. Without our pillar of strength, it took us a while to learn how to keep a positive mindset.
My eldest son, Adam, misses his grandfather terribly. He is six years old, so he is old enough to know something is not quite right and grandpa has suddenly not come home.
We’ve created a fictitious story that grandpa is just working really hard in the office. I used to perceive prison to be a dark and dangerous place. But, for the sake of my sons, we make visiting grandpa in ‘office’ a super fun outing.
We wear nice clothes and bring a little surprise for grandpa – sometimes a card or a picture from school. The hardest part has been maintaining a joyous home atmosphere for the children while we, the adults, are trying to cope with the trauma of being separated from our father or in my mom’s case, her husband. Alhamdulillah, not caving into negative and angry thoughts has helped our family weather the storm.
We want to stay focused and committed to fight this battle for justice so that grandpa comes back safely to us.
The Vibes: What has been your greatest fear during these hard times, and could you please share how you have coped with it all this while?
Nooryana: The past 14 months have undoubtedly been the toughest period of our lives. We have had to deal with the traumatic experience of watching our dearest father plead for justice and leniency in the Federal Court back in August 2023, then taken away by armed policemen and prison guards, then adjusting to family life without our pillar of strength.
As a daughter, I constantly fear for his physical health. He turned 70 behind bars and at that age, surely there must be underlying health issues that naturally come with age. We have always done our best to care for him at home but now he is living in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces. How can we be assured of his safety and wellness at all times?
We are also concerned about his mental well-being. For 45 years, he was active in politics and constantly surrounded by people and always thinking of new ideas to help the people and develop the country but now, he must live with very limited social interaction.
I believe this has been DSN’s (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) greatest test. Fortunately, he is an avid reader, so he has learnt how to seek solace in books. He has also started journaling, which can be a therapeutic escape during his lonely moments.
Then, of course, having more time for religious practice and ibadah has blessed him with patience and resilience during the lowest point in his life. Observing DSN’s mental and spiritual fortitude this past year has inspired us to keep up with him.
As I said, a close-knit family like ours feeds off positive energy from each other. We truly feel very close to him despite our physical distance.
The Vibes: While debating the president’s speech at the last Umno general assembly, you said your dream was to see Umno returning to its former glory. What do you think is needed for the party to become a strong and dominant party in the country again?
Nooryana: First, we must strengthen ‘our house’, which involves engaging with our grassroots to hear their grouses, hopes and aspirations. It is imperative that we move forward as one solid unit.
Second, we must return to our core DNA and reconnect with our traditional support base – Felda settlers, fishermen, farmers, small business owners, to name a few. Umno must regain a foothold in these areas by fighting for issues that are close to the hearts of the Malay heartlands.
Third, a rejuvenation of the party is necessary – grooming qualified, young talent so that they are ready for mainstream national politics. Injecting fresh faces and ideas into the party is a long-term plan project that must begin now.
The Vibes: You also touched on the changing political landscape in the country. What do you think of the current scenario, and, personally, do you feel Umno has abandoned its principles by being part of the unity government?
Nooryana: Coalition politics is common in a maturing democracy. Complete one-party dominance is rare. Voters are more informed, issues become more complex and thus political dynamics naturally evolve into a more competitive landscape.
BN and Umno must be agile to adapt to this new norm. At the end of the day, the rakyat come first. Forming a government to serve the rakyat must take precedence over political hubris.
This was Umno’s stance when we agreed to participate in the unity government. However, that does not mean we should not pursue efforts to strengthen our party’s image in the eyes of our grassroots and voter base.
The fact that we are in government means we must be even more accountable to the voters that we represent. Moreover, in this challenging economic climate, we are in a position to alleviate the grouses of the rakyat. Therefore, delivering results is paramount.
The Vibes: Prior to your father’s incarceration, you mostly kept your distance from the political fray, but now you seem to be playing an active part. What prompted you into this and how do you find the time to juggle your duties as a mother and daughter as well?
Nooryana: I have always been interested in politics. I studied international policy (as an) undergrad and then went on to complete my Master’s in Public Administration. I have also interned at international political think tanks in the past.
I knew I always wanted to enter politics and public service, but it was always a question of whether I wanted to do it from behind the scenes or take on a more central role. In the last four years and more so after my father’s incarceration, I found myself increasingly speaking up for his rights, raising awareness on the granular details of his cases, and cultivating relationships with Bossku supporters.
But it was my experience on the campaign (trail) in GE15 that propelled me to pursue politics more seriously. During GE15, I interacted with many BN grassroot members and voters who reminisced how 1Malaysia policies during my father’s administration impacted their lives for the better.
They shared many personal stories how policies like BR1M, UTC, MRT, Klinik 1Malaysia and others led to meaningful outcomes. It was then when it all clicked. At its core, politics is public service. Effective policy can drive positive change. Hence, I decided to take on a more active role in the party and start learning the tricks of the trade from the ground-up.
Juggling duties as a mother and daughter at the same time is challenging but women are born to multitask. I’m still trying to find a balance because at times, one role takes precedence over the other.
I’m fortunate to have a great support system – my family, especially my husband, is incredibly supportive of what I do. Also, within Puteri Umno, under the leadership of our Puteri Umno chief, Datuk Nurul Amal Fauzi, we have formed a sisterhood.
We are a group of young women, many who are young mothers, who are also at the beginning of our political careers. We are all going through similar experiences, so we pull through for one another if one of us needs to take a back seat for a while due to family obligations.
The Vibes: Given the circumstances, have you found yourself engaging in any particular causes, initiatives, or advocacy work? How have these experiences shaped your own personal growth and aspirations?
Nooryana: After graduating university, I became active in educating underserved youth communities in Lembah Pantai with the help of college volunteers.
Our objective was to fill in gaps in their education tool kit such as practical usage, English language, communication, soft skills, project-based and collaborative learning.
Some of our students have gone on to become the first college graduate in their family, entrepreneurs and even lawyers. Now as Lembah Pantai Puteri Umno chief, I am most concerned about financial security and empowerment among young women, especially in this current economic climate.
I have seen so many young mothers who are in desperate financial situations as they struggle to balance their family commitments and long-term financial aspirations. Women must be financially empowered and independent so that we have options to decide the kind of path we want to pursue. Providing women with the right tools to think through their personal finances is a cause I intend to pursue.
The Vibes: How have you and your family coped with the public scrutiny and opinions surrounding your father’s legal case? Have you felt any shifts in public support or empathy during this time?
Nooryana: It begins with believing that he is not guilty of the accusations thrown at him. Simply put, my father is not a ‘thief’. For instance, if you look at his SRC case, DSN was charged for giving RM42 million to charity despite funds already approved and paid by SRC for the purpose of donations via Ihsan Perdana.
It is illogical for him to be charged for obtaining RM42 million four and half years after he allegedly abused his power by sitting in the cabinet meeting that decided it but he was not the one who recommended or proposed it. Someone else did. And there are allegations that that particular someone had received more than RM65 million from Jho Low.
No thief would so blatantly keep ‘stolen loot’ in his bank account especially if he is the sitting prime minister and had asked BNM and Ambank to monitor his bank accounts. His biggest mistake would be that, like many busy people, he didn’t manage his bank account directly and relied on people who we eventually found in the various trials had been compromised and paid by Jho Low.
A few months ago, the Ambank manager Joanna Yu finally admitted in the 1MDB-Tanore trial that Najib may not have known about the true status of his bank accounts due to her own failures and their collective efforts to prevent Najib from knowing. I wished she had also said this during the SRC trials. It would have made a big difference.
Over the last four years, we have taken the time to explain his legal cases to the public – point by point. We are still doing that today. Looking back, I wish that my father’s communications team spent more time doing that when the 1MDB issue first arose. I think (and my father would agree as well), when he was prime minister, he missed the opportunity to explain the issue at hand in a way that would be digestible to the public. I believe it would have prevented a lot of the misconceptions out there.
Now that we have relentlessly explained DSN’s cases coupled by the facts and proof coming out of the trials and the rise of the Bossku phenomena, we have seen shifts in public support and empathy.
Many people believe that DSN is not only innocent, but he did not receive a fair trial. In addition to the various transgressions such as not allowing new evidence to be heard, new witnesses to be cross-examined and the judgement paper leaked prior to the verdict, DSN was sent to prison without effective representation.
The merits of the Federal Court appeal were not heard. As Tan Sri Datuk Rahman Sebli mentioned during his dissenting judgement, “the applicant was not heard at all. The applicant is at a great and substantial injustice” and thus, “the correct decision is that Najib should be freed immediately”. All these transgressions lead to the perception that there was a grave miscarriage of justice in DSN’s trials and it must be corrected.
Now, Rahman Sebli is no ordinary judge. He is the chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak and was the chairperson of Najib’s SRC review panel when he said those words.
The Vibes: If your father is still an Umno leader, would you have ventured more actively into politics?
Nooryana: My father has always taught us that everything that we do and achieve must be based on merit. Therefore, start from the bottom and work your way up. It’s the only way one will be a respected, knowledgeable, and resilient leader. If my father was still an Umno leader, I think I would have seriously considered how the public viewed my participation in politics.
I would have contested only if I had genuine support from my peers and grassroots.
The Vibes: What is your vision of a greater nation, and do you think we are on the right path towards achieving it?
Nooryana: I believe in a nation where every person, regardless of race, economic income and backgrounds, can thrive. Opportunity is the secret recipe for success. It is the job of the government to create as many opportunities as possible so that young children can achieve better outcomes than their parents.
The government in power must strive to do better for the rakyat than their predecessors. Right now, bread and butter issues are on top of the mind for many Malaysians. The global economy is forecasted to be increasingly challenging in the coming years. Purchasing power is weakening, unemployment and underemployment are still plaguing many young Malaysians.
Since the Pakatan Harapan-Bersatu-led government zero-rated GST, we do not have the fiscal space to pump-prime the economy during these challenging times. I sincerely hope that the government can address these economic hardships immediately and rebuild our economic fundamentals for a more prosperous Malaysia. – The Vibes, October 18, 2023
