Prime Minister ‘airs’ his lighter side for radio listeners

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KUALA LUMPUR: Hey, you have just been punk'd by the Prime Minister!

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak successfully pulled off a prank on the unsuspecting senior executive of a radio station over Hitz.fm's popular Gotcha Call segment.

Najib showed his lighter side to listeners yesterday by helping deejays JJ and Ean play a joke on AMP Radio Networks' general manager of Programming Jake Abdullah, a.k.a. Jakeman.

During the call, Najib asked if his son Ashman, an aspiring deejay, could “spin” at Jakeman's show “Club Hitz”.

Initially, Jakeman was not convinced when AMP's network manager Mohamad Raqeem Brian told him that the Prime Minister was on the line.

But when Najib spoke, Jakeman recognised the distinctive voice, but still asked for assurance.

“This is quite surreal for me. Betul ke ini Datuk Seri? (Is this really Datuk Seri?)” Jakeman asked.

Najib said yes and proceeded to ask Jakeman the request about his son.

“I'm talking to you not as a PM, but as a dad. If you give him a chance, you won't regret it.

“I'm telling you, he is really good,” said Najib.

Convinced it was not a prank, Jakeman agreed to audition Ashman, only for the Prime Minister to expose that it was a Gotcha call by putting the deejays back on the line.

Earlier, Najib “battled” with radio caller Yang Poh Ling in Mix FM's Battle of the Sexes, when he went live with deejays JD and Dilly.

Najib won RM150 after he correctly answered “The Go-Go's” when asked which pop group 1980s singer Belinda Carlisle belonged to while Yang failed to answer two questions on football and automobiles.

The Prime Minister, however, gave his prize money to his opponent “for being a good sport”.

He also told JD and Dilly that he was “nervous” during his radio appearances yesterday morning.

“I don't normally get nervous,” said Najib who also made a brief impromptu appearance on Era FM with deejays Aznil Nawawi, Ray and Haniff.

He shared his thoughts on football, music and social media during the shows.

He added that he normally wakes up at 6am every day and that Karma Chameleon by 1980s band Culture Club is the alarm clock tune on his iPhone.