ID :
54070
Mon, 04/06/2009 - 12:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/54070
The shortlink copeid
ORDINARY LIVES FOR RIZA, GINA & ASHMAN DESPITE HAVING PM AS FATHER
By: Sh.Nur Shahrizad Syed Mohd Shahrer
KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Their father may be the country's prime minister but for Riza Shahriz, Nooriyana Najwa and Norashman Razak, they say that their lives are just like any other ordinary citizen.
For them, they get no special treatment. Life has not changed even though
their father, Najib Razak, has ascended to the country's most powerful
position as prime minister.
And living abroad and far away from their parents have enabled Riza, 31,
Nooriyana, 21 and Norashman, 18, to be more independent.
They also do their own chores. "There is no difference in terms of family
life, it's still the same and I'm sure Mummy (Rosmah Mansor) and Daddy
(Najib Razak) expect the same from all of us.
"(When) we go back to our normal lives in London and Washington DC, we still
have to clean our rooms and take out the trash," said Nooriyana or fondly known
as Gina by family and friends.
Nooriyana is currently into her second year pursuing studies in
International Politics and Foreign Policies at the prestigious Georgetown
University in the United States capital.
Her younger brother, Norashman, or fondly known as Ashman, is a first year
student in International Relations Studies at the same university.
Riza is in corporate finance at HSBC London, where he has been working for
the last seven years.
When met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before departing to
their own respective destinations early Sunday, Norashman believed that what
made their parents proud was their achieving what they have today through their
own hard work and not due to connections to the prime minister.
"The best way to make both my mum and father happy is that we make it out
there in the world on our own, stand on our own two feet and make it out there
based on our achievements, not just because we are so and so's son or daughter.
That (the achievements) would make them really proud," he said.
Rosmah, who was also present at the interview, said that she wanted them to
lead a normal life, like ordinary people and normal university students.
"There is no special treatment for them overseas. They are just ordinary
children and university students. I don't allow them to have special treatment.
"They still have to go through the normal channels for immigration and they
still have to carry their own bags," she said as Ashman and Gina nodded in
agreement.
On what they could do to help their prime minister father, Riza, on behalf
of his siblings, said of utmost importance was to behave accordingly.
"Number one for us is to be good kids and not to give him any trouble so
that he can actually focus on his responsibilities 150 percent without having us
as a burden," he said.
Although Riza admits being children of the prime minister may be a
privilege, they also realise that it comes with heavy responsibilities as well.
"Yes, we do get to be in (selected) places when we travel, see a lot of new
places, meeting lots of important people, which I guess, normal people wouldn't
have the chance to do so, but at the same time, we will be subject to pressure
in terms of the (certain) responsibilities which normal people wouldn't be
subjected to.
"So it has got to be the 'ying' and 'yang', good and bad, hopefully
throughout the months and years to come, Insyallah (god willing), we will be
able to navigate those muddy waters in the best way we can," he said.
When asked if they might follow Najib's footstep in politics, Norashman
said it was too early for him to tell while Nooriyana pointed out that one
needed to have certain qualities to be a good leader.
"It's a bit too early to tell, but I always tell myself and my sister that
wanting to study politics does not mean that we are going to become
politicians...we might not want to be in the front line like our father," said
Norashman.
As for Nooriyana, she said: "I think people (often) under-estimate what it
takes to be a good leader. In growing up with my father, we have seen how hard
he works and the sacrifices he had to make. And it's not just about the
publicity, I mean, you really have to have it in you to be a good leader."
Riza said their father never pressured any one of them to follow his
footsteps by going into politics.
"But he did say that, 'whatever role you play in society, I want you to
contribute well. It does not matter whether it is in politics, accountancy, law
or banking or others, just make sure you make a contribution to the country in
some form. And it does not have to be politics'," he said
On their hopes for Najib, Nooriyana said she hoped that her father would be
a fair leader to all.
She said her father's strong will and rational thinking were among the
strongest points that he possessed as a leader.
"The fact is that he does not get pressured by emotions...he does not get
easily influenced by other peoples' suggestions. He has a clear vision of what
he wants to do and I think that is the most important characteristic as a
leader...to be objective," she emphasised.
Norashman felt that the premier's strongest strength was that he could
maintain his composure even during emotional moments.
"He (Najib) doesn't give in to his emotions. Instead, he would always try to
think what is the rational thing to do," he confided.
Riza attributes Najib's strongest point to his sharp-thinking mind.
"He is a very sharp man as well. I see him on a daily basis, he can switch
from having a nap for 20 minutes and then when he wakes up, he can just
immediately talk about (Barrack) Obama's speech, or the financial crisis, or the
credit crunch immediately (after that)," he said.
"Being calm while under pressure but remaining sharp at the same time is
certainly a very, very good combination to have in a leader. As a result, we
have 150 percent confidence in him," he said before joining his siblings to
catch their flights.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- Their father may be the country's prime minister but for Riza Shahriz, Nooriyana Najwa and Norashman Razak, they say that their lives are just like any other ordinary citizen.
For them, they get no special treatment. Life has not changed even though
their father, Najib Razak, has ascended to the country's most powerful
position as prime minister.
And living abroad and far away from their parents have enabled Riza, 31,
Nooriyana, 21 and Norashman, 18, to be more independent.
They also do their own chores. "There is no difference in terms of family
life, it's still the same and I'm sure Mummy (Rosmah Mansor) and Daddy
(Najib Razak) expect the same from all of us.
"(When) we go back to our normal lives in London and Washington DC, we still
have to clean our rooms and take out the trash," said Nooriyana or fondly known
as Gina by family and friends.
Nooriyana is currently into her second year pursuing studies in
International Politics and Foreign Policies at the prestigious Georgetown
University in the United States capital.
Her younger brother, Norashman, or fondly known as Ashman, is a first year
student in International Relations Studies at the same university.
Riza is in corporate finance at HSBC London, where he has been working for
the last seven years.
When met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before departing to
their own respective destinations early Sunday, Norashman believed that what
made their parents proud was their achieving what they have today through their
own hard work and not due to connections to the prime minister.
"The best way to make both my mum and father happy is that we make it out
there in the world on our own, stand on our own two feet and make it out there
based on our achievements, not just because we are so and so's son or daughter.
That (the achievements) would make them really proud," he said.
Rosmah, who was also present at the interview, said that she wanted them to
lead a normal life, like ordinary people and normal university students.
"There is no special treatment for them overseas. They are just ordinary
children and university students. I don't allow them to have special treatment.
"They still have to go through the normal channels for immigration and they
still have to carry their own bags," she said as Ashman and Gina nodded in
agreement.
On what they could do to help their prime minister father, Riza, on behalf
of his siblings, said of utmost importance was to behave accordingly.
"Number one for us is to be good kids and not to give him any trouble so
that he can actually focus on his responsibilities 150 percent without having us
as a burden," he said.
Although Riza admits being children of the prime minister may be a
privilege, they also realise that it comes with heavy responsibilities as well.
"Yes, we do get to be in (selected) places when we travel, see a lot of new
places, meeting lots of important people, which I guess, normal people wouldn't
have the chance to do so, but at the same time, we will be subject to pressure
in terms of the (certain) responsibilities which normal people wouldn't be
subjected to.
"So it has got to be the 'ying' and 'yang', good and bad, hopefully
throughout the months and years to come, Insyallah (god willing), we will be
able to navigate those muddy waters in the best way we can," he said.
When asked if they might follow Najib's footstep in politics, Norashman
said it was too early for him to tell while Nooriyana pointed out that one
needed to have certain qualities to be a good leader.
"It's a bit too early to tell, but I always tell myself and my sister that
wanting to study politics does not mean that we are going to become
politicians...we might not want to be in the front line like our father," said
Norashman.
As for Nooriyana, she said: "I think people (often) under-estimate what it
takes to be a good leader. In growing up with my father, we have seen how hard
he works and the sacrifices he had to make. And it's not just about the
publicity, I mean, you really have to have it in you to be a good leader."
Riza said their father never pressured any one of them to follow his
footsteps by going into politics.
"But he did say that, 'whatever role you play in society, I want you to
contribute well. It does not matter whether it is in politics, accountancy, law
or banking or others, just make sure you make a contribution to the country in
some form. And it does not have to be politics'," he said
On their hopes for Najib, Nooriyana said she hoped that her father would be
a fair leader to all.
She said her father's strong will and rational thinking were among the
strongest points that he possessed as a leader.
"The fact is that he does not get pressured by emotions...he does not get
easily influenced by other peoples' suggestions. He has a clear vision of what
he wants to do and I think that is the most important characteristic as a
leader...to be objective," she emphasised.
Norashman felt that the premier's strongest strength was that he could
maintain his composure even during emotional moments.
"He (Najib) doesn't give in to his emotions. Instead, he would always try to
think what is the rational thing to do," he confided.
Riza attributes Najib's strongest point to his sharp-thinking mind.
"He is a very sharp man as well. I see him on a daily basis, he can switch
from having a nap for 20 minutes and then when he wakes up, he can just
immediately talk about (Barrack) Obama's speech, or the financial crisis, or the
credit crunch immediately (after that)," he said.
"Being calm while under pressure but remaining sharp at the same time is
certainly a very, very good combination to have in a leader. As a result, we
have 150 percent confidence in him," he said before joining his siblings to
catch their flights.
-- BERNAMA
