An economic slowdown is often calamitous for political leaders, but Malaysia’s current doldrums could present Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak an opportunity to showcase policies to gloss over the political controversies surrounding his administration.

Amid the continuing scandal over a RM2.6 billion donation deposited into Najib’s personal accounts, Malaysia’s economic growth has started to slow, triggered by a commodities crash internationally and cooling domestic consumption following the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April.

The prime minister last month established a high-powered economic council to help chart the recovery of the Malaysian economy, which was hit by a plummeting ringgit — now at 4.33 to the US dollar — and slowing expansion.

… Failure to satisfactorily explain the controversies could allow them to linger on and negate the benefits from any possible economic recovery, said Singapore-based academic Dr Oh Ei Sun.

“He should first of all provide clear-cut explanations to these recent persistent questions. Then he must be seen to focus on improving the economy, with quick results,” the senior fellow of Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said of Najib.