Yet Mr. Najib remains more popular than his party for having at least tried to emphasize national unity over ethnic divides with his "One Malaysia" rhetoric.

WSJ: Philip Bowring: The Realignment of Malaysian Politics

In order to do this more systematically than ever before, in 2009 Najib introduced the 1Malaysia concept, calling on his government to put even greater emphasis on ethnic harmony, national unity and efficient governance.

FORBES: BY MICHAEL J. HERSHMAN

As a result, Macedonia's political parties, including the ethnic Albanians, recently formed a unity government to seek a political solution.

CNN: Macedonia attacks rebel bases