"As we move along the road of nationhood we will have to make adjustments and re-adjustments in order that our people of various races should have a rightful place in our society."
Tun Abdul Razak

TUN ABDUL RAZAK HUSSEIN

(1970-1976)

Tun Abdul Razak set up the Barisan Nasional or National Front in 1973 to replace the ruling Alliance Party. He increased the membership of its parties and coalitions in an effort to establish "Ketahanan Nasional" (National Strength) through political stability. Tun Abdul Razak also masterminded and implemented Malaysia’s New Economic Policy (NEP), vigorously tackling the economic and social disparities which had fuelled racial antagonism. The NEP set two basic goals: to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty among all Malaysians and to eliminate the identification of race with economic function. For his contributions to national and rural development, he is known as the Father of Development.