KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Malaysia’s second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein was a principled man who had placed the nation’s interests before his own, said his son Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Najib, who is the current prime minister, also spoke of Razak’s integrity and frugal life throughout his political career.

“Throughout his service in the government, Tun Razak was never involved in any corrupt practices and power abuses.

“He (Tun Razak) always placed national interests far above any personal interests until his deeds to the country became a public memory to the people,” Najib was quoted saying in the statement yesterday by local paper Berita Harian.

Najib added that Razak was well-known for living a moderate and thrifty lifestyle from the time he joined politics to the time he became the nation’s leader.

The same statement was also cited by Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia, with both newspapers saying that Najib was backing his four siblings’ statement last week on Razak’s frugality and integrity.

The Malay-language papers said Razak had never used government funds to pay for his children’s education abroad, with his late father-in-law and key corporate figure Tan Sri Mohamed Noah fully footing the bill.

In the wake of a recent article in the New York Times speculating on the family’s wealth, four of Razak’s children last week said that he was a man of “utmost integrity” and a frugal man.

In a joint statement, sons Datuk Johari Razak, Datuk Nizam Razak, Nazim Razak and Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said the whole family was “extremely concerned” over news reports that speculated over the origins and size of Razak’s supposed wealth.

“We wish to put on record that Tun Abdul Razak was a highly principled man, well known to all who knew him for his frugality and utmost integrity and any statement or inference to the contrary would be totally false and misleading to his memory and to his service and sacrifices for the nation. We take issue with anyone who taints his memory, whatever the motive.

“We would also like to add that our whole family is united on this issue,” the four said in the brief statement on February 24.

Razak, now remembered in the footnotes of history as the nation’s Bapa Pembangunan (Father of Development), took over the reins of the country on September 22, 1970 at the age of 48.

He died from leukemia on January 14, 1976, leaving behind five sons.