Putrajaya's meek response to The Economist's scathing article on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak suggests that Malaysia does not have a good case to defend itself, said constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari.

The correct response, he said, was to sue the publication for defamation rather than directing the Malaysian high commissioner to the UK to write to write a letter to the editor of The Economist.

"A government would normally do the right thing such as suing the paper in court instead of just expressing anger through the letters to the editor column...