The uneasy relationship between Malaysian leaders and the foreign media has o­nce again boiled over, this time in relation to a series of articles in the Economist which allegedly disparage achievements under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The nine articles, published for the magazine's April 5 survey titled 'The Changing of the Guard - A Survey of Malaysia', analysed the prospective change in premiership, Malaysia's economic achievements under Mahathir's leadership and political challenges facing the Umno leadership in retaining Malay support.

The initial trickle of criticism against the Economist by Defence Minister and Umno vice-president Najib Abdul Razak has since grown into a flood as Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders joined in to call for strong action, including banning the magazine.