Malaysia sent a strong message to its public stewards when it charged Najib Razak, its first former premier to be indicted, with several counts of criminal breach of trust and corruption. “Najib’s case in itself is significant for its symbolism,” said Yang Razali Kassim, a senior fellow at NTU‘s RSIS. “It is the beginning of what could be a drawn-out struggle between the new regime in power led by Mahathir Mohamad against the old regime it overthrew on May 9, of which Najib has come to represent.”