COMMENT For the second time in less than a year, the government of Najib Razak is staring at the consequences of a huge miscalculation of the public mood for change.

The misread this time could ratchet up pressure within his own party for the prime minister to do something drastic to pull his chestnuts out of the fire.

Either that or he faces the prospect, in the event of what is likely to be a tepid performance at the general election, of being asked to relinquish the Umno presidency, just as his predecessor was compelled to, even before elections to its top posts are held.

The clock is winding down rapidly to both polls - the one must be held within a year and the other, less inflexible in its timeline, due for staging not much after...