As the premier’s fate dangles in the balance, it is obvious that he is out to do everything he can to save his skin.

Where Abdullah Ahmad Badawi grinned through his first term, on the back of a handsome victory in the 11th general election, he is now grim, remorseful and overly-repentant. To describe him an embattled premier is a gross understatement.

Umno’s rejection of Abdullah as party president is the writing on the wall, with the siege being led by the likes of former president Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Mohd Khir Toyo and Muhyiddin Yassin. The outcome is anybody’s guess.