COMMENT The Umno party elections last weekend and this Saturday will decide the leaders for the country, well at least until GE14. Umno party elections have traditionally been the venue to set the course for Malaysia's future and the decisions this month are equally significance.

The two leadership positions - president and deputy president - have been decided as a result of months of deal-making and accommodation on the part of Prime Minister Najib Razak. He effectively avoided a challenge and sweetened the deal by offering the Bumiputera Economic Empowerment (BEE), an Umno contract-oriented affirmative action policy...