Leaked survey shows PM popularity dip among Malays

MALAYSIA: A leaked survey, conducted by the research firm Merdeka Centre, places Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in fourth place in a list of Malay leaders, while his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, lingers at the bottom.

Respondents placed Anwar in fourth place with 45%.

The PKR President and Pakatan Harapan Chairman garnered more votes than PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang, who is behind him with 41%.

But Anwar has little to cheer as the future seems bleak for him among Malay voters.

The survey places Khairy Jamaluddin, an Umno leader, in the first place with 62% support, followed by former PM Muhyiddin Yassin with 49% backing and the Islamist party poster boy Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar in third place.

The leaked slides also detailed the ranking of respondents’ dissatisfaction, placing the Umno leader Ahmad Zahid on top with 60%, while Anwar is not far behind at 51%.

Former Economy Minister who left Anwar’s party, Rafizi Ramli and Abdul Hadi Awang recorded 48% and 43% respectively.

Khairy and PAS’s Ahmad Samsuri are the leaders with whom the respondents were the least dissatisfied.

The support for Anwar in May last year was 55% overall, while dissatisfaction towards him was at 36%.

The 10% drop in support and the 15% rise in dissatisfaction towards Anwar represent an unexpected swing against the Prime Minister.

Despite the drop in Malay support, the biggest voting bloc in Malaysia, Anwar shines with support from non-Malay voters.

Anwar also leads in approval ratings compared to opposition leaders.

The study, conducted between March 12 and April 9, was titled “National Public Opinion Survey: Perceptions of the Economy, Leadership, and Current Issues.”

Fresh leaks also show satisfaction ratings among non-Malay respondents, and the overall aggregate across all communities.

Among non-Malays, Anwar secured the top spot with a 59% satisfaction rating and a 40% dissatisfaction score.

In contrast, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also performed poorly in the non-Malay segment at 13% satisfied and 71% dissatisfied.

Khairy Jamaluddin’s ratings fell sharply to 31% among non-Malays, with 44% of those surveyed for this section expressing dissatisfaction with the former health minister.

Bersatu President Muhyiddin Yassin only obtained a 13% approval rating compared to a high dissatisfaction ranking of 80%.

Non-Malay voters gave a reality check to the PN chairman, Ahmad Samsuri, with only a 6% approval rating compared to a dissatisfaction rate of 39%.

PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang performed the worst among non-Malay respondents, with only 4% satisfied and 81% dissatisfied.