Malaysia PM Najib Razak facing problems despite decisive action on Flight MH17

An important message came through the official grapevine around 10.30pm on July 21: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak would be reading out a "significant" statement at midnight about the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, widely believed to have been shot down over eastern Ukraine by pro- Russian rebels.

Ditching pints of beer and half-eaten dinners behind, reporters in the city centre scrambled towards Putrajaya - Malaysia's administrative district, just outside Kuala Lumpur.

Anticipation of breaking news was high. The last time Najib had held a media conference so hastily was when he announced Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 had "ended" over the Indian Ocean.

But no one could have predicted what he was going to reveal - that he had single-handedly brokered an impressive deal over the phone with Alexander Borodai, the leader of the Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine who is also known as prime minister of the self- declared Donetsk People's Republic.

Najib, who is the son of Malaysia's second prime minister and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's cousin, is hardly a well-known figure on the international political scene.

Around the region, though, he is recognised as an astute politician but one who carries the baggage of multiple controversies.