In The News

themalaysiainsight.com | 19-May-2017 – SHAFIE Apdal has several things going for him in his bid to score big in the next elections: young voters in Sabah rate him the highest among politicians in the state and he has a good standing among Muslim voters.

But there are two red flags for the former Umno leader who hopes to deliver the knockout blow to his former party in GE14.

No. 1: despite criss-crossing the state and holding rallies from October until early April, non-Muslim Bumiputeras and Chinese voters are still undecided about him.

No. 2: much work lies ahead for ‎Parti Warisan Sabah. Some 40% of Sabah voters gave the party a negative rating, while 28% viewed the newcomer positively. The rest did not have an opinion about the party.

Shafie has been drawing large crowds where ever he speaks in Sabah and he has gone on record to say that the voters in the Borneo state were ready for change. The survey did pick up the sense of restlessness and unhappiness over several issues but it was also clear that Sabahans were not inspired by the performance of the opposition.

Much work lies ahead for Shafie and his ilk before they can start talking about regime change.

This was borne out by the fact that individual Sabah BN leaders and their parties continued to enjoy high ratings.

Sabah opposition leader Jeffrey Kitingan said a reason for Sabahans’ dim view of opposition parties was their disunity and the fact that they contested against each other.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) veteran Joseph Pairin Kitingan enjoyed the highest favourability rating among the politicians named in the survey. About 55% of those polled viewed him positively as opposed to 29% who did not.

Joseph was liked by a broad cross section of Sabah’s many communities and faiths from Muslims to non-Muslims, said Merdeka Center executive director Ibrahim Suffian.

Chief Minister Musa Aman had a 50% favourability rating drawn mostly from the Muslim Bumiputera community, women and rural voters.

Umno and PBS, the two largest parties in Sabah, attracted the highest favourability rating among voters, indicating the loyal party base that they have accumulated over the decades, said Ibrahim.

Warisan’s leader Shafie had an overall favourability rating of 42%. Among Muslim Bumiputeras, his favourability ratings are at 54%, which is likely because of his stature as a top Umno leader.

“But a large proportion of non-Muslim Bumiputeras and Chinese Sabahans have not formed an opinion of him,” said Ibrahim.

“It should be noted that Shafie also attracts the highest level of favourability among younger Sabah voters – with 62% of 20-year-olds expressing positive attitudes towards him.”

Despite the results, Warisan deputy chief Darell Leiking was cautiously optimistic that his party would still make an impact in the general election.

“The turnouts at our programmes are very encouraging throughout Sabah, especially on the east coast,” Leiking told The Malaysian Insight.

“If we can form a united front in the general elections, with one-to-one contests against BN (Barisan Nasional), we could have a chance of taking over the state,” said Jeffrey, the Sabah Reform Party president, who was viewed favourably by 39% of those polled.

Other findings of the survey include:

• Umno has the highest overall favourability rating among all political parties where 50% of those polled saw it positively compared with 42% who saw it negatively;
• PBS was the second favourite with a positive rating of 49% versus a negative of 36%;
• Warisan received a negative rating among 40% of those polled while 28% viewed them positively. However, about one third of those surveyed had no opinion of the new party. Nearly half (48%) of young voters saw it in positive light;
• DAP, which has the most number of seats among opposition parties was positively received by the Chinese community at 57%;
• PKR had net negative ratings across all age groups, communities, income brackets and occupations – meaning more respondents viewed it negatively than positively. – May 19, 2017

themalaysiainsight.com | 18-May-2017 – A KEY assumption that has underpinned Barisan Nasional’s (BN) GE14 plans is dangerously faulty, with a recent survey showing that voters in the “fixed deposit” state of Sabah are a restless and unhappy lot.

If elections were held today, there is a good chance that BN candidates will not be able to replicate the success they achieved at the state and parliamentary levels in 2013.

But the survey also shows that it will be a tall order for the opposition to take control of the state in the 14th general election, with a majority of voters being unimpressed ‎with their performance to date.

The survey commissioned by The Malaysian Insight and  carried out this month by Merdeka Center involved 905 voters, covering all age groups and demographics.

These are among the key findings:

•  some 52% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the state government;
• some 49% of the respondents believed that Malaysia was headed in the wrong direction, with their primary concern being the cost of living and lingering unhappiness over the goods and services tax (GST);
• some 66% of respondents were unhappy with the economic situation in Sabah;
• some 56% of those surveyed said they were feeling the economic crunch;
• nearly 70% of respondents also wanted greater autonomy for Sabah to run its finances and administration. They didn’t want separation from the federation, just more independence from Putrajaya;
• Sabah voters continue to have grave concerns about illegal immigrants and want this issue debated fully in the run-up to the polls.

These findings provide a picture of a population with festering grievances and far away from the ideal of the fixed deposit vote bank painted by ruling coalition politicians. ‎

Sabah BN contributes 23 parliamentary seats to the BN’s 134-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat. BN strategists expect GE14 to be a much closer contest and are predicting a BN victory but with its parliamentary majority slashed to between 122 and 128 seats.

These calculations assume that Sabah BN will do as well as it did in the general elections in 2013.

A key decision for Prime Minister Najib Razak to make before the polls is whether to allow Musa Aman to continue as the Sabah chief minister.

Sabah voters appear to be split on Musa’s performance with 45% saying the was satisfied and the same amount giving him the thumbs down.

But despite the Sabah’s government mediocre ratings, its diverse opposition should not be celebrating. Only 26% of those polled viewed them positively while 48% were dissatisfied with their performance.

Touching on the greater demand for autonomy among Sabahans, Ibrahim Suffian, the executive director of Merdeka Center, noted that it was interesting that while wanting more say in policy-making and finances, they still wanted to be part of Malaysia.

This sentiment suggested that the Sabah voter had little confidence in putting their future in the hands of local leaders.

Dr Zaini Othman of University Malaya Sabah said the support for autonomy is actually a demand for Putrajaya to fulfil its promises under the 20-point Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Among the promises are that the Sabah civil service be dominated by natives of the state, that Sabah raise its own taxes and manage its own finances and that the education system be under the control of the state government.

It remains unclear if regional parties which are campaigning on the autonomy platform, such as Sabah Progressive Party, State Reform Party and Shafie Apdal’s Parti Warisan Sabah ‎will be able to tap into the well of restiveness among voters.

The survey findings suggest that they will have a responsive audience to their call of Sabah for Sabahans. – May 18, 2017.

Malaysiakini.com | KUALA LUMPUR, 08-May-2016 — Majority of Malaysians are concerned about climate change and dissatisfied with the government’s efforts in managing it, a Merdeka Center survey has shown.

The survey, which was conducted in December 2016, showed that 81 per cent of Malaysians expressed worry about climate change, even as 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded at 1.1 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial revolution average.

“When asked about their satisfaction with the government’s handling of climate change, only 37.5 per cent of respondents report satisfaction while close to one-half (49.7 per cent) expressed dissatisfaction,” Merdeka Center said in a statement.

“The survey found that Bumiputera respondents were more likely to be satisfied with the government efforts while those with higher education and incomes were more dissatisfied,” the polling outfit added.

According to Merdeka Center, the survey showed that respondents with a higher income, college education and those aged above 40 years old were more concerned about climate change compared to their peers.

Even though 70 per cent of respondents believed that climate change was caused by human activities, a significant minority at 22 per cent thought that climate change was a result of natural causes. However, scientists blame global warming on human activity.

“Malaysians were also split when assessing their own personal efforts at protecting the environment with 38.9 per cent of the respondents claimed they had done enough while 42.5 per cent of the respondents claimed they had not done enough,” Merdeka Center said.

Merdeka Center’s survey respondents believed climate change would damage forest and plants (21. 2 per cent), increase the severity of storms (20.7 per cent), increase droughts and water shortages (17.1 per cent), lead to rising sea levels and shoreline erosion (14.2 per cent), and harm wildlife and destroy habitats (11.1 per cent).

Almost two-thirds of respondents, or 64.2 per cent, said they felt the weather had become more unstable over the past three years.

A total of 65.3 per cent perceived the temperature in Malaysia to be higher compared to three years ago.

The survey was carried out by Merdeka Center between December 18 and 29 last year, with a total of 1,208 respondents being interviewed via fixed line and mobile telephones.

Respondents were selected on the basis of random stratified sampling along age group, ethnicity, gender and geographical location including the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.

The survey comprised 50 per cent Malay, 30 per cent Chinese, 8 per cent Indian, 6 per cent Muslim Bumiputra and 6 per cent non-Muslim Bumiputera respondents.

Malaysia is one of the 195 countries that adopted The Paris Agreement, an international legally binding treaty for post-2020 climate action.

The Paris Agreement calls for capping global warming at well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and 1.5 C (2.7 F) if possible, compared with pre-industrial levels.

Last year, The Star reported that Malaysia pledged to cut greenhouse emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and has introduced measures such as developing carbon-neutral cities, tax incentives to companies which report and limit their emissions, procuring more environmentally-friendly government assets and planting 13 million new trees since 2011.

The daily quoted Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar saying that the country is poised to cut another 32 million tonnes from its carbon emissions by 2020.

– See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysians-worried-about-climate-change-survey-shows-after-earths-hottest-y#sthash.62xmwkax.dpuf

Malay Mail Online | KUCHING, 20-April-2016 : The approval rating for Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem from voters in the state has increased 13 per cent ahead of the 11th state election scheduled on May 7.

Independent pollster Merdeka Center’s most recent survey on Adenan shows that his popularity rose from 74 per cent in April last year to 81 per cent in January this year.

The survey was carried out by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research from Jan 20 to 26, to gauge voters’ perceptions of current development in the Sarawak in the lead-up to the state elections.

The positive rating is across all segments of the society among all the state’s major races.

He received the highest approval rating of 90 per cent among Muslim Bumiputera, 85 per cent among non-Muslim Bumiputera and 71 per cent among the Chinese, a four per cent increase compared to the last survey.

Generally, since becoming chief minister in Feb 2014, he has been well accepted across the board by voters from all age groups and all strata of life – the high income earners and the minimum wage labourers as well as the highly educated and those with only primary education.

Adenan is also perceived to be a game changer as 75 per cent of the respondents believed that he has brought about significant changes to Sarawak since taking over the administration of the state.

The new policy which has been given the highest approval rating is Adenan’s announcement of English as an official language besides Bahasa Malaysia, with an average acceptance of 83 per cent across all races.

The recognition of Unified Examinations Certificate comes second as Adenan’s most popular new policy. The Chinese community as expected gave a high rating of 83 per cent. And surprisingly, the Bumiputera community both Muslim and non-Muslim also give strong support, resulting in an average acceptance rating of 68 per cent.

Adenan’s third popular policy is the permission for Christians to use Allah in their worship and prayers, earning him an approval rating of 71 per cent from the non-Muslim Bumiputera respondents.

On social and infrastructure development and changes brought about by Adenan, 33 per cent of the respondents praised him for the abolishment of toll, while 18 per cent gave him the thumbs-up for the increase of new infrastructure such as highway and bridges and 13 per cent took note of Adenan’s anti-illegal logging initiative.

These are some of the results of Sarawak State Voter Opinion Survey 2016 conducted by Merdeka Center from January 20 to 26 this year on 815 voters who were selected through random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age, parliamentary constituencies and state assembly seats.

Meanwhile, on the performance of opposition leaders in general, 36 per cent of the respondents expressed satisfaction while 47 per cent found their performance unsatisfactory.

On individual leaders, the poll results showed that 31 per cent of survey participants were happy with state PKR chief Baru Bian while 27 per cent were dissatisfied, with 40 per cent expressing ‘unsure’ to the question.

State DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen received a slightly higher approval rating of 36 per cent while 27 per cent of respondents were also not happy with Chong’s performance and 35 per cent of them were ‘unsure’ of Chong’s performance.

In general, 56 per cent believed that there should be a stronger opposition in Sarawak while 32 per cent disagreed. However, a point to be noted is that 24 per cent of the respondents ‘refused’ to make a stance when posed the question.

Merdeka Center estimated a plus minus survey margin of error of 3.43 per cent. Of those participating in the survey, 55 per cent enjoyed internet access.

On the same survey, Sarawak state government was given 62 per cent approval rating – a decrease of six per cent compared to the 2015 survey.

Malay Mail Online | KUALA LUMPUR, 19-April-2016 ― In the countdown to the May 7 election, a whopping 81 per cent of Sarawakians surveyed across the board by the Merdeka Center have given the thumbs up for Tan Sri Adenan Satem as their chief minister.

The independent pollster said its survey, conducted from 20-26 January this year, showed higher ratings for Adenan, compared to a previous poll in April 2015 where he only had 74 per cent approval from the public.

Adenan is seeking a mandate for the state Barisan Nasional (BN) in his first election as CM after succeeding the office mid-term in February two years ago.

The survey also found that Sarawakians of all colours approved of Adenan’s leadership, with over 90 per cent of Muslim Bumiputera, followed by 85 per cent of non-Muslim Bumiputera and 71 per cent ethnic Chinese.

According to Merdeka Centre, many Sarawakians found Adenan to have “brought significant change” since he took over as chief minister in February 2014.

One of the policies Adenan introduced that got him the most accolades was returning “English as the official language in Sarawak together with Bahasa Malaysia” which almost 83 per cent of Sarawakians agreed with.

His efforts to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) also gained him support from 19 per cent of ethnic Chinese voters from the total of 68 per cent who agreed with the policy.

Adenan’s decision to allow Sarawak Christians the right to use the Arabic word “Allah” to refer to their God ― which some Muslims claim to be exclusive to Islam ― was also well received among those polled, with 53 per cent supporting the chief minister’s assurance made in March 2014.

Other systemic issues which Adenan has also addressed in his tenure as state chief has also swayed votes onto his side like his awareness towards more infrastructure projects, addressing the illegal logging issues and providing more welfare for the low income groups, the poll concluded.

Merdeka Centre also found 33 per cent or one-third of those polled applauding Adenan’s decision to abolish road toll charges in several locations in Sarawak.

Despite the high ratings however, Merdeka Center said its survey results might “not necessarily translate” to votes for BN in the state polls.

This is because Merdeka Center found that the positive outcomes contributing to Adenan’s approval might differ according to various voter segments.

“For example within certain quarters of the Sarawak Chinese electorate, the delivery of policy changes and improvements may be attributed to the effort of opposition parties such as the DAP.

“Meanwhile Bumiputera voters are likely going to attribute improvements to the BN on account of its continued presence in their communities,” it said in an accompanying statement.

Past surveys by Merdeka Center showed a change in respondents’ sentiments from May 2012 when 56 per cent felt Sarawak was moving towards the wrong direction, to 59 per cent in December 2013 who felt the state was headed in the right direction, but the later view slid to 56 per cent last April.

In the latest survey, 815 registered voters from all 82 state seats to be contested in the Sarawak election were interviewed through fixed line and mobile telephones.

Based on the latest electoral roll gazetted last December, a total of 1,141,294 people are eligible to vote in the Sarawak polls, including 14,000 and 9,500 from the armed forces and the police respectively.

Malay Mail Online | KUALA LUMPUR, 19-April-2016 ― Sarawak voters were split in their assessment of the state opposition’s current performance and presence, according to survey released today by Merdeka Center.

The survey, which was conducted from January 20 to January 26 this year found that 47 per cent of out 815 respondents were unsatisfied with the Sarawak opposition’s performance.

“The survey also found polarized views among voters on opposition in Sarawak… close to half, 47 per cent  of the respondents reporting being dissatisfied with the Sarawak opposition,” Merdeka Center said in a statement accompanying the survey.

Merdeka Center also said that one-third of those polled could not provide an assessment or comments on the state PKR and DAP chiefs, Baru Bian and Chong Chieng Jen as they did not know the leaders.

“When asked about Sarawak opposition leaders, more than one-third of the respondents could not provide assessments on state PKR and DAP chiefs, Baru Bian or Chong Chieng Jen, respectively,” the statement added.

Merdeka Center found 42 per cent those surveyed were unable to provide responses on PKR’s Baru while more than half of Chinese respondents did not know him.

DAP’s Chong fared slightly better, with 37 per cent of voters surveyed saying they did not know him. Close to one-half of these respondents were Bumiputera voters.

Despite this, however, the majority of respondents agreed that the opposition should have a stronger voice in the Sarawak state assembly.

According to findings, 56 per cent of those polled voted in favour of this while 32 per cent disagreed and the remaining 13 per cent were either unsure or refused to provide answers.

“The survey does show a strong appreciation among Sarawak voters for the Opposition to play a check and balance role in the governance of the state,” Merdeka Center said in its statement.

In the same survey, the independent pollster also found that a whopping 81 per cent of Sarawakians surveyed have given the thumbs up for Tan Sri Adenan Satem as their chief minister ahead of the state election in May 7.

Nominations for Sarawak’s 11th state elections has been set for April 25 while polling will take place on May 7.

The Star Online | BAU, 19-April-2016 : The outcome of the recent Merdeka Centre survey on the popularity of the Sarawak Chief Minister does not reflect support for Barisan Nasional in the upcoming state election, says Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen.

Chong told reporters that the survey only reflected the sentiment of the ground “before the heat of the elections”.

He spoke to reporters at the launch of the Tasik Biru DAP operations centre here, adding that the outcome of the survey might be different if the survey was done now after the barring of certain lawmakers and activists from entering the state

“If you were to carry out the survey now after the arbitrary banning opposition leaders, things would be different. I am inclined to believe that the survey would not be siding (Tan Sri) Adenan (Satem) as much as it did in the survey,” said Chong.

He added that this was because people can now see his true colours based on what he has done.

The report on the survey that was released on Tuesday said that support for Adenan among the Chinese community has increased since 2013.

Data in the report showed that the Chinese support which was a meagre 15 percent in Dec 2013 and had made a jump to 71 percent in January this year.

Malay Mail Online | KUALA LUMPUR, 04-April-2016 — Sarawak voters’ primary worry over rising costs and economic hardship meant the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition will have an advantage over rivals in the upcoming Sarawak election, Merdeka Center said today.

The independent pollster said 33 per cent of 815 Sarawakian voters surveyed were most concerned about economic issues, which outstripped those who felt the Sarawak government needed to pay attention to the state’s development and infrastructure (28 per cent), state administration (8 per cent) and public safety (5 per cent).

“In our opinion, the issues that drive this election remain rooted on fundamental pocket book issues (i.e. cost of living and jobs) as well as demands for provision of basic infrastructure services in the rural constituencies of Sarawak.

“This provides latent advantage to the incumbent state ruling party as compared to the opposition as the former remains best placed to resolve such issues as compared to the latter,” it said in releasing the results of its self-funded January poll.

According to the survey results, 52 per cent of those polled said they were able to make ends meet, while 45 per cent admitted to having problems in fulfilling their financial obligations.

The majority of those polled expressed strong negative sentiments about job opportunities and the prices of consumer goods, with those saying it was unfavourable amounting to 60 per cent and 81 per cent respectively.

Among those polled, 51 per cent said their personal income was unfavourable while 40 per cent felt it was favourable.

The respondents were divided about Sarawak’s current economy with 44 per cent saying it was favourable while 50 per cent said it was unfavourable, while an overall 45 per cent and 43 per cent said they were pessimistic and optimistic about the state economy’s outlook.

Despite the cautious sentiments about the state’s economy, 55 per cent of those polled felt that Sarawak was headed in the right direction, which showed a stable outcome as 56 per cent in an earlier Merdeka Center poll last April had said the same thing.

“Among the top three reasons for voters’ positive views on the state direction included visible improvement in the state’s development and infrastructure, an economy that was still perceived to be growing and positive state leadership,” Merdeka Center said.

As for the 32 per cent who felt Sarawak was headed in the wrong direction, the main reason was related to economic worries such as living costs and job opportunities, as well as gaps in the provision of infrastructure in the state’s rural areas, Merdeka Center said.

Past surveys by Merdeka Center showed a switch in respondents’ sentiments from May 2012 when 56 per cent felt Sarawak was moving towards the wrong direction, to 59 per cent and 56 per cent saying in December 2013 and last April that the state was headed in the right direction.

In the survey held from January 20 to January 26, 815 registered voters from all 82 state seats to be contested in the Sarawak election were interviewed through fixed line and mobile telephones.

The Sarawak state legislative assembly will be dissolved on April 11, with the state election for 82 seats required to be held within 60 days from that day.

The Election Commission has not fixed the nomination and polling date for this year’s Sarawak election that will be carried out with a budget of RM135 million, but Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem has indicated his preference for polls to be held on April 30.

Based on the latest electoral roll gazetted last December, a total of 1,141,294 people are eligible to vote in the Sarawak polls, including 14,000 and 9,500 from the armed forces and the police respectively.

thejakartapost.com |  19-Sept-2015 – Tens of thousands heeded the call to support Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak against demands by electoral reforms group Bersih for him to step down, but Wednesday’s “red shirts” rally ended up focusing on affirming Malay rights rather than Najib’s leadership.

Indeed, the rally was a clear indicator of how strong the PM’s grip on his ruling party UMNO (United Malays National Organization) is. But it gained him little favor with critics and non- participants, what with some groups turning unruly and scuffling with riot police. It also failed to address the allegations against him.

Najib has faced challenges on numerous fronts since having to fend off charges — from even within his own party — of financial misappropriation in debt-laden state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), whose advisory board he chairs.

Additionally, he is suspected of receiving US$700 million linked to 1MDB that was deposited into his private bank accounts.

While Najib has since eliminated the internal threats by dropping the party’s deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and a vice-president from his Cabinet and replacing the Attorney-General and head of police intelligence in July, his actions contributed to shrinking confidence in the economy.

It was this last straw that prompted Bersih to announce its Aug.29-30 rally as it accused the PM of “taking every possible move to protect corruption” and putting at stake “the credibility of the very institutions of government”.

But the turnout of mostly ethnic Chinese in yellow T-shirts at the Bersih event took on racial overtones, with pro-Najib voices calling it an attempt to usurp the Malays’ political power.

There was an undoubted irony when Najib’s biggest critics – influential former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin, two men known for their pro-Malay stance — spoke out against the red shirts rally. But their criticism was meant to undermine support for Najib.

The PM has disclaimed responsibility for the rally but stopped short of barring UMNO members from taking part. The party chiefs seen mobilizing and leading the large turnout of red shirts showed that Najib’s authority was still solid.

But Oh Ei Sun, from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that such rallies, Bersih’s included, rarely swayed voters but instead “reinforce voters’ existing preferences”.

He also noted that control of UMNO is often conditional as there are “purse strings attached”, with “political wannabes trying to curry favor”.

Tellingly, many who took to the stage at Padang Merbok — the final assembly point — pressed the PM to revive the controversial Internal Security Act that his government had repealed in 2012.

Poll findings released by the Merdeka Center on Sept. 15 showed that only 24 percent of Malays supported it, with fear of trouble the main reason given to stay away.

That some red shirts bullied their way past police lines and later clashed with riot police, would scarcely have endeared them to the Malay community. The two areas, seen as symbols of Chinese business, had been declared off-limits ahead of the rally.

Merdeka Center’s executive director Ibrahim Suffian said those who were not for the rally would be further turned off by the violence and lack of discipline. – See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/09/19/rally-focus-malay-rights-turns-some.html#sthash.eBftm0sC.dpuf