1Malaysia Development Berhad

1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is a strategic development company, wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia. 1MDB was established to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development for the country by forging global partnerships and promoting foreign direct investment. 1MDB is currently involved several high-profile projects such as the Tun Razak Exchange, Tun Razak Exchange's sister project Bandar Malaysia and the acquisition of three Independent Power Producers.

In 2015, allegations were made in several newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, that the organisation had been used to siphon state funds into the accounts of Prime Minister Najib Razak, and people associated with him.

History

1MDB began as Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), a sovereign wealth fund aimed at ensuring economic development for the state of Terengganu that is long term and sustainable while safeguarding the economic well-being of the people of Terengganu.

TIA was established in 2008, and was renamed 1Malaysia Development Berhad on January 2009. In his announcement on 22 July 2009, Prime Minister Najib Razak said the decision to expand TIA into a federal entity was made to enable its benefits to reach a broad spectrum of Malaysians rather than to the residents of only one state.

Najib Razak

Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak (born 23 July 1953) is the sixth and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He was sworn in to the position on 3 April 2009 to succeed Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He is the President of the United Malays National Organisation, the leading party in Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Najib is the eldest son of Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysia's second Prime Minister, and the nephew of Hussein Onn, Malaysia's third. He was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia in 1976, at the age of 23, replacing his deceased father in the Pahang-based seat of Pekan. From 1982 to 1986 he was the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Pahang, before entering the federal Cabinet of Mahathir Mohamad in 1986 as the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. He served in various Cabinet posts throughout the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, including as Minister for Defence and Minister for Education. He became Deputy Prime Minister on 7 January 2004, serving under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, before replacing Badawi a year after Barisan Nasional suffered heavy losses in the 2008 election. Under his leadership, Barisan Nasional won the 2013 election, although for the first time in Malaysia's history the opposition won the majority of the popular vote.

Rosmah Mansor

Datin Paduka Seri Hajjah Rosmah Mansor (born 10 December 1951) is the wife of the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia. Rosmah was married to Mohd Najib in 1987, when Najib was the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.

Early life

Born in Kuala Pilah on 10 December 1951, Rosmah was later brought up in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. She had secondary education in Tunku Kurshiah College (TKC), Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. Rosmah holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Anthropology from University of Malaya where she graduated from in 1974 and a master's degree in Sociology and Agriculture from Louisiana State University where she graduated from in 1978. Both her parents were educators. Her mother hails from Kampung Mertang, Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan.

She later worked as an executive with Bank Pertanian until 1983 and subsequently as a business development manager with Island and Peninsular Bhd, a property developer company until 1987.

She married Najib Tun Abdul Razak in 1987 and the couple have two children.

Mahathir Mohamad

Tun Dato' Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad (Jawi:محضير بن محمد; IPA: [maˈhaðɪr bɪn moˈhamad]; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister. His political career spanned almost 40 years.

Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Mahathir excelled at school and became a medical doctor. He became active in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's largest political party, before entering Parliament in 1964. He served one term before losing his seat, subsequently falling out with the then Prime Minister,Tunku Abdul Rahman and being expelled from UMNO. When Abdul Rahman resigned, Mahathir re-entered UMNO and Parliament, and was promoted to the Cabinet. By 1976 he had risen to Deputy Prime Minister, and in 1981 was sworn in as Prime Minister after the resignation of his predecessor, Hussein Onn.

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime minister is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet. In a minority of systems, notably in semi-presidential systems of government, a prime minister is the official who is appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives of the head of state.

In parliamentary systems fashioned after the Westminster system, the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of government and head of the executive branch. In such systems, the head of state or the head of state's official representative (i.e. the monarch, president, or governor-general) usually holds a largely ceremonial position, although often with reserve powers.

The prime minister is often, but not always, a member of parliament and is expected with other ministers to ensure the passage of bills through the legislature. In some monarchies the monarch may also exercise executive powers (known as the royal prerogative) that are constitutionally vested in the crown and may be exercised without the approval of parliament.