Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak posted a short video clip on Twitter on Dec. 23 for his end-of-year greetings.

Now ordinarily, we wouldn't bother, but several scenes that appear in it give some fascinating insight into his political strategy for the coming crucial year for him and the ruling Barisan Nasionalis, the coalition he leads.

Let's break it down

It's innocuous enough, beginning with a casual-looking Najib in a short-sleeved shirt, sitting on his couch.

Here's what he says for the first part of the clip.

"Begitu pantas waktu berlalu, sepantas pecapaian demi pecapaian yang telah kita kecapi sepanjang tahun dua ribu tujuh belas ini.

(Translated) Time has passed so fast, as fast as all our achievements that we have enjoyed in 2017."

This is accompanied by a quick shot of the SEA Games opening ceremony, which took place in Kuala Lumpur in Aug. 2017.

Next he says:

"Semperna menjelangnya perayaan Hari Natal semaikan nilai kasih sayang antara kita.

(Translated) The arrival of the Christmas Day celebrations instil the values of goodwill among us."

And we see a little kid hanging up an ornament on a Christmas tree.

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Finally he says:

"Tirai dua ribu tujuh belas, kita akhiri dengan seribu kemanisan dan tahun baru itu nanti dengan penuh keazaman. Selamat hari natal dan selamat tahun baru dua ribu lapan belas.

(Translated) The final curtain of 2017 has ended with sweetness, and the new year will be full of determination. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2018."

This is intercut with shots of a Christmas party:

And ends with a simple "Merry Christmas" in Bahasa Melayu:

Religious diversity

It's a pleasant, almost innocuous Christmas greeting. But that's only if you look at the surface.

In fact, this short video clip is a great demonstration of Najib's political skills when you consider the larger context.

Remember that earlier this year on Oct. 31, the Malaysian government allowed two Islamic preachers to preach there although they had been banned from Singapore (on Oct. 30) and the Malaysian state of Johor (on Nov. 1).

The reason Singapore banned these preachers? They expressed views that could cause disharmony between Muslims and non-Muslims.

One of the preachers, Mufti Ismail Menk, specifically said that for a Muslim to wish a non-Muslim friend "Merry Christmas" was the "highest form of blasphemy."

But Malaysia's Malay-Muslim PM has done just that.

Racial diversity

You may have also noticed that there's a strong theme of multi-racial harmony in the video clip.

It features not only Malays, but also Chinese and Indians. And it depicts them celebrating together in friendship.

In the Christmas party scene, Malay women wearing tudungs are seen visiting the house of an Indian family, with a sign that says "Merry Christmas" over the door.

Everything is political

So what motives could Najib have for sending this message, beyond a simple greeting?

One reason could be the looming general election, which must be held by Aug. 2018.

As the leader of the Barisan Nasional coalition, it's in Najib's interest to keep his Chinese and Indian allies on his side in the face of a strong challenge from former PM Mahathir Mohamed.

But there could be another, more recent reason.

On Dec. 6, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would recognise the city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Najib came out strongly against this decision. On Dec. 21, Malaysia and Singapore both voted with 126 other countries in favour of a resolution calling on the U.S. to drop its decision on Jerusalem.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein also warned on Dec. 10 that the Malaysian military will "have to be prepared for any possibilities" with regard to the situation in the Middle East.

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Reassurance or polished politics?

If one were a non-Muslim citizen in Malaysia, these strong reactions and the religiously-tinged public protests against the U.S. and Israel might be worrying.

But Najib's public "Merry Christmas" greeting and his multi-racial video clip likely at least indicates his intention to show a reassurance that the PM has not forgotten about his country's multicultural minority voters.

You can watch the clip in full below:

Sempena menjelangnya Hari Natal, semaikan nilai kasih sayang antara kita. Tirai 2017 kita akhiri dengan seribu kemanisan dan tahun baru ini nanti dengan penuh keazaman. pic.twitter.com/55lYVPfjG4

— Mohd Najib Tun Razak (@NajibRazak) December 23, 2017

Top image adapted from Najib Razak's Twitter page