I refer to the Malaysiakini report BN may not contest Penanti, says PM .

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is in a really awkward position. He had boldly said that, in the interest of the nation's economics and priorities, BN (Umno) may not contest the Penanti by-election as it was an opposition stronghold.

Many hailed his suggestion as wise, reflecting that of a decisive leader. Along comes Najib's mentor, Dr Mahathir Mohamad to say that ‘BN should not be scared to contest Penanti'.

If Najib agrees to go along with Mahathir's call, he will be seen as a weakling, a puppet of the ex-PM who is unable to make a logical decision and stick to it.

To make matters worse, if Najib proceeds and Umno contests in the by-election, he is faced with the high possibility of defeat for Umno, another humiliating defeat which will weaken Najib's position further.

But if he ignores Mahathir's call, he faces the wrath of the ex-PM and Najib knows fully well what this can amount to, having seen what had happened to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. To compound the problem further, Najib would be seen as being afraid to face Anwar Ibrahim in another by-election.

Truly, poor Najib is between the ‘devil' (Mahathir) and the ‘deep blue sea' (Pakatan Rakyat/ Anwar). The situation looks like that either heads or tail, Naib loses.

The only way for Najib to overcome this impasse is to work with Mahathir and ensure that Umno wins the by-election. The question is ‘How can Umno win the Penanti by-election?'

The surest way for Najib/Umno to win the Penanti by-election is to put up a candidate who is sure to win - someone with pop-star appeal, someone who truly appeals to Umno and the Malays in general, someone who is an astute politician, someone who is practically invincible.

There is only one person who fits this description - Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The good news for Najib is that the Tun has already said that he is ready to take the lead to spearhead the by-election and ensure that Anwar is defeated on his own turf.

It would be perfectly all right for the Tun to be the Umno candidate if the matter is assessed on the basis of the rationale for such a truly strategic move by Umno. The Tun would not be standing to become an assembly person but to show that Umno can win a seat from the opposition in spite of all their rhetoric and advantage.

Such a win would be the catalyst which is evading Umno and Najib. It will enable them to break away from the series of by-election defeats and revitalise Umno to continue to rule the country and win the next general election convincingly.

The Tun, as the current beacon of Umno and the champion of the Malays, will surely not turn down a request to save Umno in this crucial situation. If Anwar is bold enough to face the Tun, he can, of course, stand as the Pakatan candidate against the Tun.

That would make the by-election even more meaningful and decisive - it would be the long awaited battle where Mahathir can conclusively trounce Anwar and demolish his nemesis's ambitions to become prime minister of Malaysia.

Will Mahathir rise and answer this call to save Umno and Najib? Of course, Mahathir is not one to shy away from defending his race, religion, party and nation and the Tun is certainly not a coward.

Najib, it is now up to you to approach the Tun to save Umno and your position as PM. Nominate Mahathir as the Umno candidate in the Penanti by-election.