Embattled Malaysia Premier Najib Aided by Opposition in Mess

Bloomberg

07 July 2015

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, under fire for claims that $700 million in funds ended up in his personal accounts, may yet weather the political storm with the help of an opposition in disarray.

The crisis is the biggest to engulf Najib since he came to power in 2009, leading a coalition that’s held power since independence in 1957. It has dented investor confidence and contributed to a fall in the ringgit as economic growth slows.

But while the allegations have been referred to a special task force and may prompt ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad to step up calls for the premier to resign, the fracturing of the opposition after months of infighting leaves Najib’s fate very much in the hands of his own coalition. He retains support among rank and file ruling party members, and senior ministers have said the probe must be allowed to run its course.

… “Najib will hold on,” said Oh Ei Sun, a political analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “He won’t step aside pending investigations because that hasn’t happened before in Malaysia, and it’s not in his character to do so.”

Categories:

IDSS / Online

Last updated on 16/11/2015