Published on Jul 8, 2012 by Luke Hunt
FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Since coming to power in April 2009, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak has used the threat of an early election to keep his political opponents at bay. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had to fight-off another charge of sodomyand at the same time work the electorate amid the constant prospect that the next poll was just around the corner.
It was crafty politics, early elections are unprecedented in Malaysia but the game is changing. Najib’s timeline for a poll is starting to run short and he must call an election by the first half of next year.
More importantly a court case is about to get under way in France over alleged kickbacks involving Malaysia’s acquisition of two submarines and the murder of a Mongolian model. This is threatening to steal the political gains that Najib had fought so hard to build since coming into office.