EXCLUSIVE | Five days before the May 9 general election, the Research Division in the Prime Minister's Department, which is touted to be an intelligence unit, had penned a letter to then-CIA director designate Gina Haspel.

Acknowledging that the 14th general election could be the most tightly contested ever in Malaysian history, the three-page letter sighted by Malaysiakini, however, said former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was expected to “win the election adequately to form the next government”.

Despite the confidence, the letter appealed for US support for Najib's administration “even if we win the election by a simple majority or just one seat.”...