Caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak facing Malaysia's 14th general election made it to the cover story for the latest edition of Bloomberg Businessweek.

In an interview on wide-ranging topics, he spoke on the 1MDB affair, how he has survived "hard times" and his chief opponent in the coming polls, Pakatan Harapan's Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The print version of the interview also saw Najib talking about change, or more specifically, the need to postpone change.

"Change, that's a cliché," Businessweek quoted Najib as saying.

"Everyone talks about change. But you can't be ahead of the curve, doing something people aren't ready for.

"I believe in change, but I also believe you have to set a timetable for change that is constant with the acceptance and willingness of people."

The magazine also noted that Najib's campaign had indulged in some "Trumpian flourishes" such as his “campaign slogan (Make My Country Great With BN) to his tweet blasts at opponents".

It also noted that Najib has also adopted US president Donald Trump's abhorrence for "fake news" and had legislated a law with hefty jail sentences for those who publish information that was "wholly or partly false".

The magazine noted that the 1MDB affair had, over time, become “less threatening” to Najib and that most Malaysians reportedly did not consider it to be their top concern.

Najib, the magazine said, has instituted some reforms such as a more progressive tax system and subsidy removals besides implementing a minimum wage policy. However, it said he would need a decisive win to have the political clout to do more.

"Najib needs a victory for yet another reason. If Mahathir's coalition was to somehow pull off an upset, it has pledged it will set up a commission to investigate the 1MDB mess and arrest officials implicated in the scandal.

"As Najib knows, Malaysian politics can be a nasty business," said the business weekly.