KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak is masterfully rebranding himself as a devout Muslim and has successfully undermined the opposition, according to The Economist.
In its latest edition, the respected magazine says despite the mysteries surrounding 1MDB, the prime minister appears to be consolidating his power.
Najib, it says, is “at the top of his game”.
Saying the prime minister may call early elections, it notes that the Umno president, who has the full support of his party, has managed to steer PAS away from the fractious opposition.
The threat to the ruling party from former deputy prime minister and later opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been effectively neutralised. Anwar is in jail for sodomy.
Najib, it says, has also acted against activists and politicians who have persistently questioned him or his government.
“As for 1MDB, the only conviction in Malaysia related to it has been of a whistle-blowing legislator who highlighted alleged wrongdoing by the fund’s managers,” it adds, referring to Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli.
Najib is busy wooing PAS and rebranding himself as a devout Muslim. Najib, The Economist says, took the “extraordinary step” last year of backing PAS president Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to increase the powers of Islamic courts.
Najib is also “counting on the squabbling opposition not to get its act together — in particular, on its failing to acknowledge the futility of Anwar leading the opposition from jail”.
Yet, it says, there is scope for surprises. This includes the possibility of asking Muhyiddin Yassin, the former Umno strongman now leading the opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, to be its leader, thus transforming its chances of victory.
However, for this to happen, the opposition would need to “swallow a lot of pride and some principles”.
Another surprise could be the direction the economy takes. Najib, The Economist says, is running not only against the opposition, but against the economy as well. For, the ringgit has fallen badly and the economy is not as robust as everyone wants it to be.