[TheNutGraph.com] Six Words On... Najib Razak -- PM Najib one year later
COME 3 April 2010, Malaysians would have spent exactly one calendar year with Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister. The year can hardly be described as a honeymoon — after all, there was unprecedented opposition from civil society and politicians from both sides of the divide to Najib's ascendance.
The new premier, in turn, wasted no time in building "Brand Najib". Almost immediately, Malaysians were introduced to his 1Malaysia slogan, with its tagline People First, Performance Now. This was followed by the Government Transformation Programme (GTP). On the eve of his first anniversary as prime minister, Najib unveiled the New Economic Model (NEM) and promised to turn Malaysia into a high-income nation. This will in turn feed into the 10th Malaysia Plan, another thrust in Najib's agenda. Najib also promised to keep tabs on government performance, through his ministerial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and National Key Results Areas (NKRAs).
Indeed, the Najib brand is one of crisp acronyms. But to build a successful brand, consumers must be convinced that the brand delivers what it promises. The thing is, Najib has made some pretty awesome promises during his first year in office, but what exactly has he delivered?
Report card
Perhaps it would help to look at three broad areas to assess what has worked or could have worked better over the past year: macro-economics; governance; and civil and political rights. After all, from the beginning, Brand Najib promised to lift Malaysia out of economic recession, deliver effective services to all, and even review the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for indefinite state detention without trial.
"I will be steadfast in my commitment to meet the needs, aspirations and concerns of all Malaysians," Najib said, exactly one year ago.
Has he demonstrated that commitment? And have all Malaysians' needs, aspirations and concerns been met? To answer that question, here are some highlights from Najib's first year in office:
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Malaysian Bar Council 
