The prime minister has paid tribute to the late United States senator Ted Kennedy describing the man as a dignified gentleman who had a passion for politics in the very best sense, and a person whose legacy should be looked into "to inspire us to build a brighter future."

ted kennedy Najib Abdul Razak said that over the nearly five decades in the United States senate, Kennedy, who died on Tuesday at the age of 77, had become one of America's most important and influential politicians.

"He had a passion for listening to a wide variety of voices, building consensus across many different political interests, and writing legislation that made sense to the American people.

"Some of these issues are not easy for any country to resolve, but as Senator Kennedy's life has shown, sometimes we must accept the challenge of moving mountains if we are to move ourselves as a people," Najib said in his latest posting on blog, www.1Malaysia.com.my, today.

Malaysians face national challenges

Najib said that Kennedy and what he stood for had renewed his own sense of idealism that "together we can make Malaysia a better country for future generations."

najib 100 day bash 110709 najib 02 "On the eve of our independence anniversary, Malaysians face our national challenges as we forge a new direction for our country.

"We must all own our national destiny and feel that we have a stake in our country's future. We must adopt the true spirit of personal responsibility and commitment to change Malaysia for the better," he added.

Najib also recalled how warm and hospitable Kennedy was to him when he met the US senator sometime ago.

"I appreciated the gesture he made to acquaint myself to the Senate as he showed me around the vicinity.

"I reaffirmed my views then, that it was obvious that this dignified gentleman had a passion for politics in the very best sense. He wanted to make people's lives better," he said, adding that Kennedy's death was a big loss to the American people, especially to the late senator's family and close circle of friends. - Bernama