This has not been a good week for Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

On Wednesday, the former UMNO president was slapped with additional charges in court for money laundering. This followed on the heels of Umno’s defeat over the weekend in the Sg. Kandis by-elections.

Now there have been a series of remarks from different Umno party leaders, seemingly distancing themselves from Najib Razak,and blaming his presence on the stump for the loss of Sungai Kandis.

Is support for Najib Razak within UMNO party ranks wearing thin and what does this mean for the party?

Bridget Welsh, Professor of Political Science at John Cabot University in Rome shares her insights.