theedgemarkets.com | 02-Sept-2020 – KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 2): A poll by the Merdeka Center found that Perikatan Nasional (PN) has the highest positive perception among voters currently, with 51% of respondents viewing the coalition positively, versus 27% that see it negatively.
However, only 37% of respondents view the Muafakat Nasional (MN) political pact positively, slightly lower than its component parties of Barisan Nasional (40%) and PAS (39%).
Meanwhile, 28% of the respondents viewed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), which has expressed its intention to join MN, positively, while 39% are negative. About 60% of Malay voters support Bersatu joining MN.
About 65% of Malay respondents prefer to see Umno in PN, while 25% do not. Meanwhile, 68% of Malay voters prefer PAS to be part of the coalition.
The opinion research firm found that Pakatan Harapan (PH) scored the highest negative rating at 52%, with only 25% of respondents viewing the PKR-DAP-Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) coalition positively.
“The survey findings illustrate the strong preference and approval particularly, among Malay voters, towards the present ruling coalition Government headed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,” said Merdeka Center.
“The results also indicate a significant swing of Malay voters towards a unified Malay political coalition as exemplified by the large majority of approval gained by PN and MN — notwithstanding some contrary views put forth by some leaders in the coalition,” it added.
The survey was carried out by Merdeka Center between July 15 and Aug 10 to gauge the perception of voters towards the economy, leadership and current issues.
A total of 3,415 registered voters (who were picked randomly), comprising 52% Malay, 29% Chinese, 7% Indian, 6% Muslim Bumiputera, and 6% Non-Muslim Bumiputera (from Sabah and Sarawak) were interviewed. Merdeka Center said this is reflective of the national electoral profile.
Edited by S Kanagaraju