PRIME Minister Najib Razak is one of five world leaders to have beaten US President Donald Trump in the unpopularity stakes, says Time.

Trump, who has been accused of the full gamut of misdeeds from tax evasion to racism and who is now facing allegations of collusion with US’ old foe, Russia in his presidential campaign, is undeniably unpopular. Yet, with an approval rating of just under 40%, Trump is “sitting pretty” compared with Najib and four others.

In terms of unpopularity, Time says Najib ranks up – or rather, down – there with President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, President Michel Temer of Brazil, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece.

Maduro is currently the world’s most embattled political leader, says the report. Venezuelans taking to the streets daily to violently protest his government amid crippling food and medicine shortages. More than 70% of Venezuelans have lost an average of 19 pounds over the past year, and roughly 80% of basic medicines are unavailable.

Temer, whose approval rating is in the single digits, is reported to be clinging to his job after recordings emerged of him allegedly negotiating the payment of a bribe. The slowdown of the global economy and the accompanying crash in commodity prices have led to the country’s worst recession ever. GDP has fallen more than 7% in the last two years, unemployment has roughly tripled, and at least 3.5 million people who had been lifted out of poverty in the boom years between 2004 and 2014 have slid back. 

Zuma’s approval rating is at an all-time low of 20% across the country; more than 70% of  South Africans want him to resign. Since Zuma assumed the presidency in 2009, the country’s currency has lost a third of its value, and unemployment currently stands at 27%. Zuma has had nearly 800 charges of corruption levelled against him, and he relies on patronage networks to keep him afloat politically. He’s gotten rid of ministers and political rivals who crusaded against government corruption. Zuma is grooming his ex-wife to be his political successor to protect himself from prosecution once he leaves office. 

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras continues to fall in polls as he is forced to accept more and more austerity measures to keep his country afloat.  Tsipras and his Syriza government are said to have compounded financial woes that began well before Tsipras assumed the reins. Syriza triggered elections in 2014 at a time when it seemed the Greek economy was finding its footing, which was followed by a snap referendum on whether to accept a new bailout deal from foreign creditors. Greeks said no, but Tsipras went ahead and signed it anyway.

In the case of Najib, Time says, “Who needs to be popular when you can be rich?” Najib established the economic-development investment fund called 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) the same year he assumed office. It was alleged that more than US$1 billion (RM4.4 billion) ended up in Najib’s personal account, which the prime minister has since clarified was a gift from the Saudi royal family. He has been backed up by the attorney-general, who reported that the money constituted a legal donation, and that most of it was returned. Politically-speaking, the report says Najib doesn’t have much to worry about he retains firm control of Umno, the political party that has dominated Malaysian politics for nearly six decades. He has systematically sidelined opponents within the party, and his main adversaries outside the party have been jailed on what critics say are politicised charges. Who needs popularity when you have political power and money in the bank? – May 22, 2017.