The Battle to Lead Malaysia Gets Personal
The Battle to Lead Malaysia Gets Personal
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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak may be best known internationally for a multibillion-dollar scandal at state investment fund 1MDB, a money trail that led to the Hollywood blockbuster, The Wolf of Wall Street, a $250 million yacht and a $3.8 million diamond given to actress Miranda Kerr.
At home, it’s his intensely personal election battle with a 92-year-old patron-turned-enemy that's gripping the nation.
Najib weathered the initial storm over 1MDB, and was cleared of wrongdoing. Now he has to defeat the man who helped bring him to power in 2009, Mahathir Mohamad, who came out of semi-retirement after they fell out over issues including 1MDB.
At stake for Najib is his coalition’s six-decade grip on power. He lost the popular vote in 2013 but won a narrow majority of seats in parliament. In his first international interview in more than three years, Najib said he’s “reasonably confident” he’ll do better on May 9.
“I may appear to be mild in my temperament, but I have a strong resilience in me,” says Najib. “I don’t give up easily.”
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And finally… If giving birth in a hospital surrounded by half the world’s press wasn’t enough to put up with, Prince William and Kate Middleton have watched as gambling has soared on their third child's name — highlighting how Britons love to turn to the royals when the country is otherwise divided. Why worry about the ins and outs of the customs union or the Irish border when you can endlessly speculate if William and Kate will go for Arthur, which has been the bookmakers’ favorite, followed by Albert.
--With assistance from Ben Sills Kathleen Hunter Brendan Scott Daniel Ten Kate Thomas Penny and Flavia Krause-Jackson
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net.
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