Malaysia’s gift to badminton and world number one Lee Chong Wei needs his dosage of Rosmah before prepping himself for a big game.

In an inadvertent revelation by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, he revealed that Lee ‘habitually’ calls up his wife, Rosmah Mansor, before each tournament for words of encouragement.

“That night (before the All-England finals), my wife had given him encouragement and promised to give him a special present if he were to win.

NONE “I also spoke to Lee, and also promised him a reward if he were to win,” said Najib according to a Bernama report.

Lee had on Sunday successfully defended his All-England title against China’s Lin Dan in a 52-minute straight set at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena.

“At that time, (Chong Wei) did not think of Lin Dan as an unbeatable contender. Chong Wei also showed such a great game, never bowing to pressure and always makes his play according to plan.

“To me, when he has the confidence and commitment to his game plan, he can then overcome his contender to achieve victory,” said Najib.

Reward for Chong Wei

Straight upon reaching the airport after flying back from London, Lee was treated to breakfast with Najib and Rosmah - undoubtedly Lee’s biggest fan - at their official residence in Seri Perdana, Putrajaya this morning.

NONE There, Najib kept to his promise of a reward and gave Lee RM100,000 in Permodalan Nasional Berhad unit trust units.

Rosmah also gave Lee his ‘special present’ in the form of a watch.

Meanwhile, Najib also explained on his Twitter account that the country would have to bear a huge cost if there were to be a public holiday following Lee’s victory.

“What is important is that we work hard for more victories in the future.

“If Chong Wei wins, he’s the one who gets his reward. Why would we want a holiday? We should be proud of his win.

“It’s all right to get a public holiday once in a while, but it should not be a habit. Otherwise other people will say that Malaysians are not serious in their work for the country,” he said.

Most recently, Najib had announced a public holiday for all Malaysians on Dec 30 last year after the local football team managed to clinch the Suzuki Cup for the first time ever.