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As Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration faces mounting pressure from political actors to call snap elections, Malaysians appear to have accepted his leadership, with a local poll claiming that two out of three people gave it a positive approval rating.
The government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic was likely a contributing factor to Muhyiddin’s popularity, with 93 percent of respondents in the Merdeka Center survey giving officials the go-ahead for his performance.
This poll, conducted between July 15 and August 10, interviewed a group of voters who reflected the national electoral profile to measure voters’ perceptions of the economy, leadership, and current affairs.
In an opinion poll conducted earlier this year, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad garnered an approval rating of 56 percent in March, when a political coup caused his Pakatan Harapan coalition to lose its parliamentary majority and led him to resign.
While Muhyiddin’s overall approval rating stood at 69 percent, the Merdeka Center poll showed a deep ethnic divide among voters, with Malaysian Chinese giving him positive approval, compared to 92 percent for Malaysian respondents.
About 65 percent of ethnic Indian voters were happy with Muhyiddin, who has implemented a series of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, including a partial shutdown for months.
Malaysia has seen some 9,300 infections and 128 deaths since the outbreak began.
The survey results come as the country recently recorded some discontent over the government’s decision to fine a minister just 1,000 ringgit (S $ 330) for violating coronavirus self-isolation rules, far less than the sanctions imposed on others. citizens who committed similar crimes.
However, the poll found that overall, 58 percent of respondents approved of Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance, which leads the federal government with a small majority in parliament, while only 28 percent said they were dissatisfied. and angry.
Merdeka Center said increased support for Muhyiddin’s coalition indicates that Malaysian voters are responding positively to the ability of political parties to overcome their differences.
“This increased support from Malaysian voters comes as a result of a positive management of the Covid-19 pandemic, a rapid response in the provision of financial aid to affected low-income households and businesses, as well as the latent satisfaction of seeing Malaysian political parties – which had been in competition with each other for decades, finally came together in a pact, ”the pollster said in a press release.
“The results also indicate a significant shift in support from Malaysian voters towards a unified Malaysian political coalition, as evidenced by the large majority of approval obtained by Perikatan Nasional and Muafakat Nasional, despite some contrary views expressed by some coalition leaders. “.
Of the various coalitions, Pakatan Harapan had a negative rating of 52%, the highest negative rating among the various coalitions. Muafakat Nasional had a negative rating of 37%, while 27% gave Perikatan Nasional a negative rating.
Meanwhile, the survey also found that 31 percent of Malaysians were frustrated by political instability, while 17 percent were worried about the economy.
Bread and butter issues remained a priority, with six in 10 people expressing concern about how to recover from the effects of both the coronavirus and the months-long nationwide shutdown that led to temporary business closures and tourism disruption.
However, 68 percent said the government had helped those in need.
Although support remained strong for a Malaysian nationalist government, 57 percent of Malaysian respondents agreed that the courts were correct in convicting Najib Razak of corruption and abuse of power related to the 1MDB corruption scandal.
This article was first published in South China morning post.
