The buzz now is ‘who is the prime minister of the country'? This is the question asked by many ‘political enemies' of BN from within and without. Every one knows that the PM is Najib. But can Najib steer the country free from Dr Mahathir Mohamad's interference?

Many are beginning to doubt this. Apparently, according to many critics, Pak Lah was squeezed out from power by the maverick politician, Mahathir. Could the same happen to Najib if he decides not to ‘listen' to Mahathir?

Before Najib decided on his recent cabinet line-up, he was somewhat ‘warned' that Khairy Jamaluddin should be excluded from the cabinet. When the line-up was announced, Khairy was obviously excluded.

Pak Lah's men should also have been totally discarded from the cabinet line-up but when Najib had the courtesy to include some of them in, it was again murmured by Mahathir that the cabinet was still filled by some ‘tainted' characters.

Shahrir Samad being a good politician and realising the consequences, decided to tender his resignation even before the new cabinet line-up was announced. He smartly backed out before the axe fell on him.

Now, the iniquitous crooked bridge has again cropped up. Next in line would be the use English to teach Science and Mathematics. Najib is bound to have another headache. The media is shrewdly hyping on this issue - a devious but politically correct way to pit Mahathir against Najib.

The media is known to be good at this. Najib is still silent about the whole thing. He must be thinking hard - perhaps losing sleep - contemplating how to respond to all these ‘assaults' on him. Would he decide to go ahead with the crokked bridge project that leads into the empty sea even if Singapore does not agree to it? Is this going to be a viable project when the economy is now gloomy and filled with future uncertainties?

Will Najib decide not to revert the teaching of Science and Mathematics to Bahasa Malaysia? A difficult decision indeed for Najib. But would he then decide to please the grand old man and go ahead with his mentor's plans?

Najib knows that the Penanti by-election - if it were to be held - is a foregone conclusion for Umno and BN. The bet is Umno or BN will again lose to PKR or Pakatan Rakyat. The campaigns will for sure wash a lot of dirty linen in public which Najib is averse to. ‘Enough mud -slinging at me and smearing my name', would be what Najib is thinking hard now.

Najib is aware that in all the recent four by-elections that BN lost, Najib ended up becoming the punching bag for the opposition. Najib, who grew up in a politically aristocratic family and would always like to play safe in politics, is not ‘a good fighter' at that. The most he would do is to have his people brawl for him. The millstone will still be hanging around his neck.

Umno may lose the Penanti contest and the score will go up for the Opposition - 5 to 1. This is going to be another feather in Pakatan's cap and a bad bruise for Najib's image.

But, Mahathir is said to have unofficially appointed himself as ‘the General' now and he wants to spearhead the campaign. Mahathir is determined to fight Anwar Ibrahim this time around on the Penanti battle field. But, ‘General' Mahathir will lose nothing if Umno loses this battle.

He is already a retired ‘five-star general' after leading the country for 22 years with relative success. Najib is the man who will lose more. He will be implicated again for being a non-f ighter. Najib is now in a dilemma - to contest or not to contest?

Mahathir was brought in during the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections in a grand manner. Najib was practically kept away from the scenes. He left his soldiers to fight for him. This is the Najib that most of us know. Mahathir was stung stiff by the ‘hill bees' and the seats finally went to PAS and PKR.

Knowing Mahathir, he has the ‘syatria' blood of the Keralites (where his grandfather came from) and he will go on fighting even after his war flag has fallen to the ground. A strong character indeed.

Najib has signaled that Umno may not contest Penanti but Mahathir says otherwise. Most likely, Najib will cave in, reluctantly. But, if Mahathir is seen in the field fighting without Najib to be seen, what would the people perceive of the latter? Mahathir should have tutored Najib to be a fighter first before he could become a good prime minister.

This, Mahathir did not. He was in a haste to push Pak Lah out of the scene.

Mahathir will keep Najib on his toes. Najib realises that if he decides not to listen to his ‘self-appointed' advisor he will be in trouble. This is the least he wants. If he now listens to Mahathir, his political nemeses will brand him as a PM without an own stand.

In the traditional puppet show (wayang kulit), the performer (Tok Dalang) pulls the puppet skillfully from behind to captivate the minds of the people watching the show on the white screen. I am sure Najib does not want to be a puppet of this class.

He aspires to be an independent prime minister but the thorn that is pricking his flesh and conscience from an ‘obvious hand' is too much for him to bear. Unfortunately, he seems not able to withstand it.

To Najib, the advice is to let his own conscience decide what he wants to do as a prime minister. He should stand by his principles. He does not have to be shoved to the edge by anybody. It may be bitter though, but this is the pill he has to swallow in order to be respected or else it will affect his image as prime minister.

Word is going round asking ‘Who is the Prime Minister now? Najib or Mahathir?' Most people already have the answer to this question, for now.