DATUK Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia finally announced his resignation and his plan to cede his prime ministership and his UMNO chairmanship, as well as that of the National Front coalition to his deputy, Najib Razak in March 2009. ‘Pak Lah’ as Badawi is familiarly known, has been under great pressure from assorted groups following general elections last March.

The parliamentary seats won by the National Front—t