In The News

Malaysia Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 28-Feb-2013 — Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor today refuted claims that Malay support for the government was waning.

He said the result of a survey conducted by the Merdeka Center earlier this month might not necessarily give an accurate picture although the decline was only two per cent from 63 per cent.

“The survey result may not necessarily be accurate because we have received a different response. We depend on our surveys and the feedback is that young people have begun to support the government,” he said.

Tengku Adnan(picture) was speaking to reporters after officiating at the pre-launch of the Barisan Nasional (BN) Squad in conjunction with the “Rakyat Bersatu, Negara Maju” (A United People, A Progressive Nation) programme at the Putra World Trade Centre here.

He said the 1 Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) to the people, including single unmarried individuals, had made the people happy because they appreciated the government’s concern for them.

Tengku Adnan said the opposition political parties played on the emotions of the people and instilled in them hatred for the BN and government policies.

“The government’s enemies make use of lies and slander to confuse the people and youths. They are good at using psychology,” he said, adding that they gave the impression that young people did not support the government.

On the BN Squad, he said it was the brainchild of former Umno Youth chiefs who collaborated with several residents associations of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

The squad, to be officially launched next week in Rapat Setia, Ipoh, would help establish a BN community bold enough to express its support for the government through vehicle stickers and T-shirts, he added. — Bernama

Malaysia Chronicle | 27-Feb-2013 – Public opinion pollster Merdeka Center has reported a drop in prime minister Najib Razak’s popularity, falling 2 percent since December last year to 61 percent as at January 2013.

Over the past 12 months, Najib’s popularity has steadily declined from 69 percent.

“The survey shows that satisfaction among Chinese and Indians respectively remain at 34 and 75 percent, but among Malays it has dropped 4 percent from 77 to 73 percent,” says the research centre.

The survey was carried out between January 23 and February 6, involving 1,021 voters, and reveals that voters’ rating of the government stands at 48 percent and Barisan Nasional at 45 percent.

“The survey also shows that there is a drop (of support) among the Malay respondents against the government and BN,” it adds.

59 percent of respondents are Malays, 32 percent Chinese and 9 percent Indians.

-Harakahdaily

Malaysia Chronicle | 26-Feb-2013 – Prime Minister Najib Razak’s popularity plunged another 2 percentage points to 61%, confirming the growing views that his political strategy has been heavily flawed, ceding the upper-hand to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition as the country’s general election nears.

The 59-year-old Najib is now the least popular PM to lead the Umno-BN coalition into national polls, and this may yield Malaysia’s first-ever regime change if the Opposition is able to seize the day and win the federal government.

Najib is expected to dissolve Parliament within the next few weeks to pave the way for the 13th general election.

More damaging for Najib, the survey results are bound to increase the discontent and infighting within his Umno party and further weaken his ability to suppress rivals including Deputy prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

Sharp drop in Malay satisfaction

According to the Merdeka Center, “several weeks away from the general election, a survey concluded among voters in Peninsular Malaysia in early February 2013 found that the Prime Minister’s approval rating had slipped further to 61% from 63% at the end of December 2012.

The survey found that while satisfaction among Chinese and Indian voters remained at 34% and 75% respectively, the sentiment among Malay voters had declined 4% from 77% to 73%.

The survey also detected movements in voter sentiments towards the government and the ruling Barisan Nasional party whereby 48% said they were “happy with the government” while 45% reported they were “happy with Barisan Nasional”. The survey also found declines from among Malay respondents towards the government and Barisan Nasional.”

Deepak , Musa allegations make an impact

The PM’s overall approval rating had only managed to improve 1 percentage point to 65% last November after he announced a populist and election goodies-filled Budget 2013, compared with 64% last May.

The January 23 to February 6 survey, which was funded internally by the Merdeka Center, aimed to gauge voters’ perceptions of issues in the run up to the 13th general election due soon. The Center says the results have a margin error of 3%.

The research house said the survey took place after the January 12 People’s Uprising rally backed by Anwar and PR leaders in Kuala Lumpur and amid the ongoing media coverage of the Sabah citizenship-for-votes royal inquiry.

Merdeka Center also noted that other issues forming the talking point to its survey included statements made by controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan and former Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan against Najib, the government as well as the dispute over the use of the word “Allah”.

Malaysiakini.com | 10-Jan-2013 – Just months before the 13th general election (GE13) is to take place, a survey found that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s popularity rating has dropped two points to 63 percent, from 65 percent last November.

“While satisfaction among Malay and Indian voters remained strong at 77 percent and 76 percent respectively, the sentiment among Chinese voters had dropped to 34 percent,” pollster Merdeka Centre said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, the level of dissatisfaction increased by one percentage point from 29 percent to 30 percent – the highest in over two years.

This is according to a phone poll carried out by Merdeka Centre in December last year, on a stratified random sampling of 1,018 registered voters comprising 59 percent Malay, 32 percent Chinese and 9 percent Indian respondents, selected based on ethnicity, gender and state of residence.

The survey also found that voters’ perception of the government remained lukewarm with 45 percent respondents happy with the government, while 47 percent of the respondents said that they were happy with the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition.

Merdeka Centre polled the respondents between Dec 15 and 28, last year to gauge voters’ perceptions of current developments in the country.

The poll took place just after the Umno general assembly,interviews and statements by businessperson Deepak Jaikishan and former chief of police Musa Hassan, as well as controversies over ‘Amanat Haji Hadi’ and use of the word ‘Allah’ by the non-Muslim community.

Support increased among youth

The pollsters found there were differences in views expressed between by the younger and the older generation, men and women, and between those of lower and higher income.

BN has the lowest support among those who are younger, with 34 percent of those between 21 to 30 indicating they were ‘dissatisfied’ – the highest among all the age group.

More women than men are ‘happy’ with BN. The same is true of those who are working in government/government-linked companies and the unemployed compared to those in private sector and self-employed.

Support for BN appears highest among the low income.

Previously it was reported that Najib’s rating rose by one percentlast November, following the tabling of the 2013 budget, compared to 64 percent recorded in June this year.

Last July, Merdeka Centre found Najib’s approval rating dropped one point from 65 percent in May to 64 percent after it found a significant drop in Malay and Indian satisfaction over his performance.

The independent pollsters found Malay respondents’ satisfaction of Najib’s performance was 75 percent, down four percent from May, while the figure was 69 percent for Indian respondents, down three percent.

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 02-Jan-2013 ― The Barisan Nasional (BN) must do more to cash in on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s popularity as issues of the day could threaten their hold on Putrajaya, say analysts commenting on the latest Merdeka Center survey.

The analysts also noted the BN government’s approval remains low despite cash handouts and a raft of economic and legal reforms that Najib has introduced since taking power in 2009.

“On the whole, although there are those who say they are satisfied, they may not vote for BN because there are other issues at play during an election ― the political party, the individual candidate, the influence of the local ministers in the area and so on.

“Therefore, the good popularity rating could merely reflect the public’s agreement with Najib and his policies,” said Ibrahim Suffian from Merdeka Center, the independent pollster that conducted the latest survey released yesterday.

The Merdeka Center found that Najib’s ratings, while still relatively high, dipped slightly by two points to 63 per cent in the poll conducted late last month, from 65 per cent in November.

The survey found that while satisfaction among Malay and Indian voters remained strong at 77 per cent and 76 per cent respectively, the sentiment among Chinese voters had dropped to 34 per cent.

The survey also found that voters’ response towards the government remained lukewarm, with only 45 per cent of the respondents saying they were “happy with the government”.

Ibrahim also suggested the possibility of “cultural bias” among the different racial communities that were interviewed for the poll, saying the Malays and Indians were more conservative when it comes to speaking negatively about their nation’s leaders, while the Chinese are generally more outspoken.

“So I am pretty certain that just because the poll says that Najib has 77 per cent support of the Malays, it does not mean he will get 77 per cent of the Malay vote.

“The Indians, the Malay respondents… traditionally they tend not to be so openly negative about the ruling party leaders so there is a cultural bias there,” he said.

Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Prof Madya Shaharudin Badaruddin echoed Ibrahim’s views, saying the prime minister’s good standing among the Malay and Indian communities may not translate to votes in the coming polls.

He agreed that the rating of a person’s popularity is an individualistic matter and would not reflect the total voting trend of the election.

“You may vote for Najib, but it does not mean you want Umno,” he said.

Universiti Malaya (UM) political analyst Prof Datuk Mohamad Abu Bakar said the same, adding that the performance of an individual does not reflect the performance of the party this person represents.

He pointed out that the survey results may not be consistent until polling as issues that may crop up between now and then could affect the prime minister and BN’s popularity.

“So, depending on whether these new issues make him popular or not, one cannot say for sure whether his popularity at this moment in time will be constant through and through until election day,” he said.

Shaharuddin added that the quality of candidates would also play an important role in determining the true support for BN among the country’s various ethnic communities.

He noted that Merdeka Center’s survey methodology of collecting public opinions through phone calls could have also been a major factor in Najib’s high popularity rating.

“When it is face to face, direct contact, the behaviour and replies from a respondent could be different,” he said.

Najib will lead the ruling BN for the first time into the coming 13th general election, which observers believe will be the most hotly-contested polls to date.

In recent months, Najib and his government have gone on overdrive, doling out handout after handout and people-pleasing policies aimed at ensuring a comfortable victory against Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the federal opposition pact that has over the years grown in strength and in numbers.

In Budget 2013, Najib announced a smorgasbord of handouts and benefits in an effort to court electoral support ahead of polls.

These include a second round of RM500 cash handouts to lower income families, dubbed “BR1M 2.0”, as well as an expansion of the programme to include payments of RM250 to single youths earning below RM3,000 monthly.

Earlier this week, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin suggested that the payments may be made permanent and even doubled to RM1,000 with a BN victory.

Other aid measures include RM500 book vouchers and a new RM250 smartphone rebate for students.

The previous round of BR1M handouts was shown to have boosted support for Najib, especially in the lower income groups that were the main recipients.

But an opposition-backed mega-rally called “Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat” today risks throwing a wrench into BN’s works, just as the April 28, 2012 Bersih rally was said to have derailed Najib’s plans for a snap election then.

Najib has the option to call Election 2013 anytime before April 27, after which Parliament will be dissolved and polls automatically put into action.

By Clara Chooi
Assistant News Editor

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 09-Oct-2012 — The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition pact will likely go to town with the latest findings published by independent research institute Merdeka Center on the plethora of issues surrounding Sabah, the country’s easternmost and poorest state in the run-up to polls, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The former prime minister and veteran Umno politician said that with the 13th general elections just around the corner, the opposition will not hesitate to use any issue to spur its chances at the ballot box.

“The issues raised are opposition issues.

“Elections are close… so they will turn everything into an issue,” he told reporters, weighing in on Merdeka Center’s latest findings on Sabah issues made public last week.

In its survey, Merdeka Center noted that 57 per cent were dissatisfied with Sabah’s economic performance and only 56 per cent of Sabah voters were satisfied with the state government, a six percentage point drop from 62 per cent in November 2009.

The country’s easternmost state has been described as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) “fixed deposit” along with neighbouring Sarawak. Both Borneo states are a crucial frontline, which both BN and PR will have to win in order to take Putrajaya in the next general election.

In Election 2008, BN lost the popular vote in Peninsula Malaysia and analysts say the sentiment has remained largely the same in the months leading up to the elections.

In the first part of its survey released last week, the Merdeka Center also found that only 54 per cent of voters polled last September felt the state was heading in the right direction compared to 66 per cent in November 2009.

The top five reasons for the drop include the issue of illegal immigrants, dissatisfaction with political leadership, the high cost of living, and “the perception” that Sabah was still “lagging” behind in terms of economic development and infrastructure.

The illegal immigrant issue was rated by 53 per cent of the voters polled as the most important issue in Sabah.

The state opposition has alleged that the BN government in Sabah gave out citizenships to foreigners in exchange for votes to help them stay in power.

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 07-Oct-2012 — The Sabah government needs to find out why voters surveyed last month are dissatisfied with it, especially the economy, and work to improve their services, say Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders from the coalition’s key votebank.

A Merdeka Center survey released on Friday showed that 57 per cent were dissatisfied with Sabah’s economic performance and only 56 per cent of Sabah voters were satisfied with the state government, a six per cent drop from 62 per cent in November 2009. The country’s easternmost state has been described as BN’s “fixed deposit”.

“I think the only way to solve all the problem, BN Sabah should work smart and consider what (are the) people’s problem, what people need,” said senior Umno backbencher Datuk Bung Moktar Radin, adding that the BN goverment “should do more” to develop the state.

But Bung Mokhtar said the state government cannot deliver everything,  pointing out that it was the same for other states and even United States  President Barack Obama has been criticised by his own people.

“What I can see state government is hardworking, of course not everything they can deliver,” the Kinabatangan MP told The Malaysian Insider.

“The people, they know how to see you, they know how to judge you. We cannot hide anything,” he said, when commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman’s ratings.

The survey showed Najib’s ratings remaining stable at 75 per cent, but Musa’s fell from 60 per cent in November 2009 to 45 per cent in September, suggesting the ruling BN will be faced with some hurdles in its stronghold ahead of elections soon.

Merdeka Center said Musa’s decline in popularity was most marked among Muslim-Bumiputera voters who are the backbone of the state’s Umno support, with a drop from 72 per cent in November 2009 to 51 per cent last month.

Musa is also the Sabah Umno chief and Sabah BN chief.

When asked if there should be a change in the chief minister, Bung Mokhtar said: ”No comment. It’s up to PM’s prerogative.”

When asked about the survey results, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk V.K. Liew said: ”That’s why I want to know why they are not satisfied, is it because not able to perform…, is it because of economy or corruption?”

He added that allegations of corruption should not be made without the furnishing of evidence, saying that sometimes people make such claims due to “jealousy”.

Liew pointed to the huge amount in Sabah’s coffers as proof that the state is doing well when commenting on Sabahans being unsatisfied with the state’s economic performance.

“It’s a joke because state government’s coffer has RM4 billion,” adding that it was an unfair statement to make, saying that Sabah has more in its coffers compared to Penang and Selangor.

He said the state government can still improve their services and change voters’ opinion before the 13th general elections.

“Since we have about six months before term of government expires, so public perception can change gradually over the performance of government.”

Sabah Umno deputy head Datuk Seri SallehSaid Keruak said opinion polls and surveys have advantages, but if not properly carried out, it can be flawed and disrespectful to certain parties.

Without saying as much that a recent Merdeka Centre survey was wrong, Salleh said that if a survey was driven by an agenda, there was little to

prevent those behind it from manipulating the results to fit the plan.

“Even the wording of the questions (in the survey) can whip up a certain response and provoke the person from saying things he never intended to say in the first place,” he said in a statement carried by state news agency Bernama.

Salleh said he personally did not think that Musa’s popularity had shrunk nor his decisions on how the state is developed had negative implications on the  people.

Sabah and Sarawak are crucial frontline states which both BN and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will have to win in order to take Putrajaya in the next general election.

In Election 2008, BN lost the popular vote in Peninsular Malaysia and analysts say the sentiment remains largely the same in the months leading up to the next elections.

In the first part of its survey released last week, the Merdeka Center also found that only 54 per cent of voters polled last September felt the state was heading in the right direction compared to 66 per cent in November 2009.

The top five reasons for the drop include the issue of illegal immigrants, dissatisfaction with political leadership, the high cost of living, and “the perception” that Sabah was still “lagging” behind in economic development and infrastructure.

My Sinchew.com | KOTA KINABALU, 06-Oct-2012 — Opinion polls and surveys have advantages to a certain extent, but if not properly carried out, can be flawed and disrespectful to certain parties, said Sabah Umno deputy head Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.

Without saying as much that a recent Merdeka Centre survey was wrong, Salleh said that if a survey was driven by an agenda, there was little to prevent those behind it from manipulating the results to fit the plan.

“Even the wording of the questions (in the survey) can whip up a certain response and provoke the person from saying things he never intended to say in the first place,” he said in a statement, here today.

Salleh was commenting on an online report that claimed voter satisfaction with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman in the state had taken a dive to below 50 percent.

He said he personally did not think that Musa’s popularity had shrunk nor his decisions on how the State is developed had negative implications on the people.

The survey by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research claimed that satisfaction of Sabah voters towards Musa, who has been head of the state for almost a decade, had dropped significantly from 60 percent in November 2009 to 45 percent in September 2012.

The Malaysian Insider | 05-Oct-2012 – A public opinion poll has found that voter satisfaction of Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman in the state has taken a dive to below 50 percent although the approval rating for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak still remains high.

A survey by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research has detected that the satisfaction of Sabah voters towards Musa, who has been head of the state for almost a decade, has dropped significantly from 60 percent in November 2009 to 45 percent in September 2012.

While the decline was recorded across all ethnic groups, surprisingly it was largest from among Muslim bumiputera respondents, falling 21 percent from 72 percent, to 51 percent.

Contrary to Musa’s popularity, Najib’s popularity remained stable and high when 75 percent of the respondents were satisfied with his performance, compared to 77 percent in November 2009.

Similarly, voter satisfaction towards the state government remained positive at 56 percent, although it recorded a six percent decline from 62 percent in November 2009.

“It also indicates that voters had different expectations on political leadership at various levels,” it added in a statement today.The independent pollster commented that the marked difference in voter perceptions towards key political leadership and the state government reflected a “Sabah-centric” sentiment exhibited by voters.

The survey also detected a slump in the economic sentiment among the voters, with more than half of the respondents having expressed dissatisfaction with the economy in the Land Below the Wind.

This is the second and last release from the survey carried out by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research between Sept 6 to 17 to gauge voters’ perceptions of current developments in Sabah.

The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 05-Oct-2012 — Voters in Sabah remained happy with Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s performance as prime minister, but Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman’s ratings fell sharply, a recent poll by Merdeka Center showed.

Najib’s ratings remained stable at 75 per cent, but Musa’s fell from 60 per cent in November 2009 to 45 per cent in September, suggesting the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) will be faced with some hurdles in its stronghold ahead of elections soon.

A majority of voters surveyed — 57 per cent — also reported dissatisfaction with Sabah’s economic performance.

The independent research house said that voter satisfaction for the state government remained in positive territory at 56 per cent but also reflected a six per cent decline from 62 per cent in November 2009.

But Musa’s falling popularity will be cause for concern, with Merdeka Center saying its survey also showed that his declining ratings were most marked among Muslim-Bumiputera voters who are the backbone of the state’s Umno support.

Among Muslim-Bumiputeras, Musa’s ratings have fallen from 72 per cent in November 2009 to 51 per cent last month.

Voter satisfaction for Najib remains high, with his 75 per cent favourability response just short of the 77 per cent he recorded in November 2009.

The result could mean that the BN machinery will have to rely on the Umno president’s popularity to win back a majority of the seats in the state.

Sabah and Sarawak are crucial frontline states which both BN and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will have to win in order to take Putrajaya in the next general election.

In Election 2008, BN lost the popular vote in Peninsular Malaysia and analysts say the sentiment remains largely the same in the months leading up to the next elections.

BN will be keen on retaining the Sabah and Sarawak vote as its fixed deposit as it faces what is the most keenly contested elections in the country’s recent history.

“In our view, the marked difference in voter perceptions towards key political leadership and the state government reflected a ‘Sabah-centric’ sentiment exhibited by voters. It also indicates that voters had different expectations on political leadership at various levels,” Merdeka Center said in a press release accompanying the release of its survey results.

In the first part of the survey released earlier this week, the Merdeka Center also found that only 54 per cent of voters polled last September felt the state was heading in the right direction compared to 66 per cent in November 2009.

The top five reasons for the drop include the issue of illegal immigrants, dissatisfaction with political leadership, the high cost of living, and “the perception” that Sabah was still “lagging” behind in economic development and infrastructure.