Najib's appointment of Hishammuddin to new post a bid for political survival

POLITICAL appointments in Malaysia are rarely taken at face value, more so now as the country's long-ruling Barisan Nasional led by Prime Minister Najib Razak prepares to face a bitter and contentious election sometime this year.

So, when Mr Najib, with a proven knack for calculated political hirings (and firings), revealed recently that he has signed on Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, a thoroughbred Umno politician, to the pivotal task of special functions minister at the Prime Minister's Department, it created a huge buzz.

It is no doubt a weighty manoeuvre by Mr Najib who has of late stepped up his "lawan tetap lawan" (keep on fighting no matter what, in Malay) rhetoric to galvanise supporters and signal to detractors that he is on the offensive. This is also yet another determined move by the man who has overcome - and emerged even stronger from - a political crisis sparked by a huge financial scandal, to ensure political survival as his party heightens efforts to woo a relatively more hostile voter base in the 14th general election that is speculated to be held in September or October this year.