It has been a rough week for Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak.

Barely two days after he was ousted from his position by his mentor-turned-nemesis Mahathir Mohamad, some leaders of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) are now calling for his resignation.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has ruled Malaysia for 61 years until the shock victory of opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 14th general election on May 9.

The PH coalition will be forming the new federal government next.

Members in Umno, which is the main party in the BN, think that Najib is now a liability and wants to get rid of him in order to remain relevant.

Najib a liability to BN

Umno leaders from Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Terengganu -- the first three states are traditional BN strongholds that have since fallen to the opposition -- have come out one after another to publicly denounce Najib.

According to the New Straits Times, Kedah Umo Youth chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said:

"It is obvious that he has failed to lead and defend the power that we held for 60 years.

We can no longer shoulder this personal liability.

The party needs to rise and carry out a complete transformation."

Penang Umno Youth chief Rafizal Abdul Rahim referred to the the Malay phrase saya berjiwa besar, which means "I am magnanimous", that he claimed Najib used frequently, and said:

"He needs to full practise what he preaches, that he is always open hearted so he should hand over the party leadership to someone more worthy."

Najib suppressed dissent from within his own party

Najib had previously widened his crackdown on dissent from within his party over the alleged misappropriation from the state fund 1MDB, proposing changes to Malaysian law that would allow caning and life imprisonment for those found guilty of receiving leaked documents.

A party member, after reporting to the police the alleged financial mismanagement, was sacked from his leadership role in 2015.

A year later, a deputy party president who called for investigations into the allegation was also suspended.

Mahathir had called for Najib to resign then, condemning his former protégé for the 1MDB scandal and his crackdown on critics, saying that his government was "defining the law according to their own needs" and had created "a climate of fear" in the country.

Possible candidates for Umno leadership position

But if Najib does throw in the towel, who could step in to replace him?

During his speech where he "accepted the verdict of the people" on May 10, Najib was flanked by two Umno heavyweights and key allies, former Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

Like Najib, both men also won their respective individual contests and hold seats in Parliament.

But like Najib, they might be seen as part of the "old guard" now, irrevocably linked to the memory of a stinging defeat.

A possible dark horse candidate for the leadership role could be Khairy Jamaluddin, the former Minister for Youth and Sports, who also won his seat in Negeri Sembilan.

A younger politician at 42 years old and the Chairman of Umno's Youth Wing, Khairy could possibly portray himself as part of the newer generation whose turn it is to lead the BN.

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It's worth noting that Khairy was one of the quickest BN politicians to publicly comment on Twitter when it looked like the BN was going to lose on election night.

Rakyat Malaysia sudah bersuara. Dan suara rakyat adalah keramat. Selamat maju jaya, Malaysia dan terima kasih kepada semua pengundi kerana melaksanakan tanggungjawab kepada negara.

— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) May 9, 2018

Translated, it reads:

"Malaysians have spoken. And the voice of the people is sacred. Good luck to Malaysia, and thanks to all voters for doing their duty for the country."

A graceful message -- and perhaps one from a politician with one eye on the future.

Top image via CNN interview video