Despite the vocal criticism from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has proven to be astoundingly resilient.

According to an article by South China Morning Post editor Zuraidah Ibrahim published by the daily today, Najib was like the politicians' equivalent of big banks that are "too big too fail".

"Having amassed a war chest of mind-blowing proportions, he seems able to steady wavering loyalties, and swiftly crush opponents. Chinese money has already bailed out 1MDB and it is unlikely he will lose his grip so suddenly," she said.

According to Zuraidah, Mahathir’s is the only voice strong enough to rally anti-Najib forces into one coherent force among the Malays as the opposition is fractured with oppostion leader Anwar Ibrahim in jail on sodomy charges.

"Dr Mahathir attended a rally last year, calling on the prime minister to resign. This March, he quit the ruling party, Umno.

"He probably expected these symbolic moves to strengthen the hand of any politician within Umno bold enough to mount an internal challenge against Najib," Zuraidah wrote in the article.

The editor, however, described Mahathir's latest gambit as a move which "risks his own legacy".

"Instead of departing on his terms, as he did in 2003, he (Mahathir) may now find himself leaving the scene a loser," she noted.

Zuraidah also made a comparison between Mahathir and his old nemesis, the late Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's former prime minister, whom she said had shared the same fighting spirit.

However, she said: "Rather than having a say in government in some murky unofficial capacity, the legalistic part of Lee always preferred a formal, honest seat at the table.

"Knowing when to bow out is one of the critical judgment calls any leader must make, and history is full of fine leaders who failed in that one respect."