WORST IS SOON TO COME! Horrible year for Malaysian PM

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak must have thought the worst was over when he survived his first general election in May 2013 by the skin of his teeth.

But after three Malaysia-linked plane disasters and the country's worst flooding in memory, Datuk Seri Najib will be glad to see the back of 2014.

To say that it has been a tough year for him would be a gross understatement.

When not being criticised for letting the ball drop - at times literally, such as when he was shown golfing with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii while hundreds of thousands of Malaysians back home fled rising floodwaters - he faced revolt from his own Umno party over reforms that failed to bring back their electoral dominance.

Photos of him on pristine greens with the American leader could not have contrasted more starkly with the mud-dominated images coming from the east coast of peninsular Malaysia where more than 200,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

PM Najib

Analysts drew parallels to Mr Najib's predecessor Abdullah Badawi opening a nasi kandar restaurant in Perth in December 2006, at a time when Johor was hit by severe floods.

Mr Abdullah was swiftly ousted after the 2008 General Election, which saw the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) lose its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time.

"The damage is much worse than for Abdullah - the floods are much worse. He (Najib) was warned about the flooding and chose to play golf," said Ms Bridget Welsh from the Centre for East Asia Democratic Studies at the National Taiwan University.

It capped a year in which Mr Najib appeared to be under siege on all fronts. He faced international media criticisms over the handling of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 that went missing in March, flak from politicians on both sides of the divide over alleged billion-dollar financial scandals in his 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investment agency, and unhappiness over his pledge to repeal the controversial Sedition Act, which he eventually abandoned.

When Beijing-bound MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board on March 8, Malaysia was roundly criticised for a confused and uncoordinated response. Mr Najib himself was late on the scene, appearing two weeks later to announce that the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

To his credit, he went some way to setting things right after July's brazen shooting down of MH17 over a war-torn region in Ukraine. This time, he took the bull by the horns and negotiated directly with pro-Moscow rebels to gain access to the wreckage.

In a New Year's address yesterday in which he called 2014 "one of the most difficult years in Malaysia's history", he pointed out that "Malaysia was able to get the breakthrough that no one else could - securing the return of the bodies and black boxes from MH17".

This was one of a few victories in 2014 - another being Mr Obama's visit in April. But it was won only after taking lessons from earlier blunders - a recurring theme for Mr Najib's year.

In June, he told Umno members to emulate the courage of Islamic State In Iraq and Syria fighters, only to condemn them later as terrorists amid reports of at least 39 Malaysians joining them to fight in the Middle East.

His party also forced him into a change of heart. Umno's annual congress in November saw the grassroots insisting that the Sedition Act - which critics say is used to stifle dissent - must stay to protect Malay privileges and national harmony.

Mr Najib, who is Umno president, ditched his pledge to repeal the Sedition Act - which had, in any case, already been used to charge 12 people last year, compared with two in his first four years in power. His move won him loud applause from Umno delegates, but led to claims of weak leadership from both government and opposition figures.

Among those not enamoured with Mr Najib's leadership is the country's longest-serving prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a still influential figure and a key protagonist in defending the Sedition Act.

He continues to attack Mr Najib over 1MDB, which posted RM665 million ($252 million) in losses last year that hang over borrowings of RM42 billion, half of which is government-guaranteed.

"Signs point to him losing control of his party. If he was unproven when he took power in 2009, he is now proven to lack leadership," said Mr Wan Saiful Wan Jan, head of policy think-tank Ideas.

According to polls by the Merdeka Centre, his approval rating was 48 per cent prior to the flood crisis, down from 64 per cent before the 2013 election.

Despite these setbacks, Malaysia did see steady economic growth, defying expectations to average 6.1 per cent over the first three quarters of 2014.

Nur Jazlan

But this is not a bright spot Mr Najib can bank on in 2015, especially since he has yet to win public support for painful economic measures.

Much of the Malaysian economy - a net petroleum exporter - as well as 30 per cent of government revenue depend on oil and gas, but prices have dropped by half in the past six months.

While cutting subsidies in favour of targeted handouts and introducing a broad-based consumption tax may be well-intentioned, a slowing of the economy and rising inflation from these factors combined will present another severe test for Mr Najib's leadership.

"Najib's economic transformation plan is in danger," said Public Accounts Committee chief Nur Jazlan Mohamad.

"In 2015, BN must ensure the public understands the tough global climate... especially with a shrinking ringgit." - Asiaone