Muda Hasan once asked the then Pahang menteri besar, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, if he could be relieved from his duty as the official driver for the top politician in the state government.
His reason was that he could not stand sleeping in the office due to him frequently missing the boat that crossed Sungai Kuantan to return to his home in Tanjung Lumpur, as his responsibility at work would stretch into the night.
Back then, he said, he had to rely on the boat service as there was no bridge connecting Tanjung Lumpur and Kuantan town.
“I would have to sleep in the office in Kuantan whenever I missed the boat.
“So, I told Najib that I wanted to quit at the end of the month.”
Muda said Najib immediately called his private secretary, who, in turn, got in touch with the district officer, who arranged for him to live in the government quarters in the town.
“Half an hour later, I was told that I would be able to live in the government quarters.
“I continued to live there for the next 12 years before I got a house.”
Muda, now 62, said he served as Najib’s driver throughout the latter’s term as menteri besar from 1982 to 1986.
“He was a stickler for punctuality, and I could sense that he was upset if I did not arrive to pick him up on time,” he said, adding that the official car then was a black Mercedes Benz SE380 series model with the registration plate CU11.
“But, he rarely showed his displeasure when that happened.
“When I apologised, he would be okay again quickly.
“He is fair-skinned, so it was easy to tell whenever he got upset, as he would turn red.
“I would describe him as a very patient person.
“He rarely talked unless it was on an important matter.”
Muda said when he drove Najib to the venue of an event, the menteri besar would ensure that they arrived just in time for the function.
“If it was too early, he would ask me to slow down so that we would arrive at the venue at just the right time.”
He said Najib worked hard and was committed to his duties as menteri besar even when he was still in his 20s.
“As far as I can remember, all he ever did was work.”
He said Najib occasionally spoke to him openly, especially when passing on valuable life lessons.
“When he was deputy prime minister, and I was still working as a driver for other VIPs, he would greet me from among the crowd.
“Once, when I was assigned to drive him when he was deputy prime minister, he joked about me being young, saying: “Muda, awak ni tak tua tua. Muda selalu.” (Muda, you never grow old. Always young).
“He said his hair was turning white, and I replied that it was because he had so many important things to manage.”
Muda said Najib dressed well as menteri besar and had a Western dress sense when he was younger.
Ab Majid Mohamed’s experience with Najib began when he helped initiate the latter’s entry into active politics in Pekan, the prime minister’s current constituency.
He said he was one of the two people approached by Najib’s mother, Tun Rahah Mohammad Noah, to submit a membership application form for her son to join Umno.
Majid said he and Khaidir Abdul Rani went to the Umno office to submit the form to the Pekan Umno divisional treasurer in 1976.
He said Najib was accepted as a member at the Pekan Lama Umno branch.
“I still remember that Khaidir paid the RM2 membership fee. We were so eager to help Najib become a leader.
“Now, it is a part of history that I will fondly remember all my life.”
Majid, 85, said he also experienced following Najib on his campaign runs throughout Pekan.
“I used to share a room with him during the campaign period,” he said, adding that he was assigned by the party to be either a proposer or seconder when Najib was nominated as a candidate to contest the polls.
“He was a fast learner, especially when it came to ways in which to interact with the rural folk and the elderly, despite him having just returned from studying overseas.”
He said Najib remained a patient man in the face of the trials and tribulations in politics.
“I have never seen him melatah (have sudden outbursts).
“He keeps calm and overcomes problems using a soft approach despite being under pressure.”
Paya Besar member of parliament Datuk Abdul Manan Ismail said he used to work under Najib when the latter was a minister, from 1986 to 2004.
“I was called to his office for an interview to be his private secretary in 1986.
“I got the job and worked for him for 18 years.”
He said there was no difficulty in working with Najib, as he gave clear instructions.
Manan said he served as private secretary when Najib held the youth and sports portfolio.
“The odd but good thing about Najib is that he can go down to the level of the people he is dealing with.
“If he is dealing with elders, his demeanour will reflect theirs as a way to show them respect. He also rarely shows anger at people. Even when he should be upset, he does not show it.”
Manan said his then superior believed that everyone should focus on work when they were at the office, but outside of office hours, though, Najib became easygoing.
“Staff members became his friends outside the working environment. He would share a joke or two with us.”
Manan said his most memorable moment with Najib was when they were both on board a helicopter that crash-landed in Karak in 1987.
He said they were en route to Kuala Lumpur from Pekan after Najib had officiated the Pekan Umno Youth divisional meeting.
“I boarded the helicopter after he invited me to join him, even though I already had a plane ticket to return to Kuala Lumpur.
“Somewhere over Temerloh, the helicopter started to descend sharply.
“Then, the body of the helicopter wobbled. We were 600m above the ground, and I could see a patch of clearing below us.”
Others on board the helicopter were the pilot, co-pilot and Najib’s bodyguard.
Najib was seated with the pilot in the front.
“The pilot screamed twice when there was a loud snapping sound.
“The helicopter then stabilised before it crash-landed on an open space.
“Najib, as I recall, was quiet during the harrowing moment.
“When we stepped out of the helicopter, we saw that he had a cut on the leg after hitting the front panel.
“I could see after incident that the landing skid of the helicopter had penetrated the body panel.
“Luckily, everyone was safe. We then lodged a report at a nearby police station in Genting Highlands,” said Manan, adding that they were given a lift in a car to return to Kuala Lumpur.