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BN sees dip in popularity following Perak takeover
13-Feb-2009, The Edge Daily
by Chan Kok Leong
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KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) may have retaken Perak, but its popularity has taken a hit, an independent survey revealed yesterday.

Pollster Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research conducted a survey on Feb 6-8, a day after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s announcement that BN had recaptured Perak last week. According to the survey, 41% of the 507 respondents said they could not accept state governments formed via the defection of state assemblypersons.

Twenty-five percent voiced their reluctance to accept such state governments, while only 13% were strongly in favour of it. Another 16% said they somewhat accepted such governments.

Chinese (87%) and Indians (73%) made up the most number of respondents who were not in favour of state governments being formed via defections. On the same question, 47% of the Malays noted their displeasure with such governments.

Among those surveyed, 74% said they were in favour of fresh elections. Twenty-two percent were against fresh polls, while 5% said they did not know or gave no response.

Those who agreed to fresh elections made up 88% of Indians, 84% Chinese and 59% Malays.

Another startling revelation was that 76% felt that voters should decide the state government lineup, while only 21% thought the royalty should settle this issue.

In the breakdown, 98% Indians, 88% Chinese and 60% Malays agreed that the people should determine the government of the day in Perak.

While Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir ponders the popularity of his government, the royal household was not spared either, as 62% of the respondents felt the Palace’s decision last week did not reflect the people’s will.

Malays were the largest group (50%) who felt the Sultan’s decision reflected the people’s will, while only 9% Chinese and 13% Indians concurred.

In a question to gauge BN and Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) popularity, the older coalition suffered another setback. Fifty-eight percent felt that BN’s image was dented by what has happened in Perak last week, while 56% thought that PR’s support would rise.

To solve the impasse in Perak, 68% felt that snap polls or by-elections (in the case of the three assemblymen who defected) were in order, while 28% suggested that the BN state government be accepted.