News Release
September 29th 2008
Concerns over politics continue to rise – Merdeka Center Survey
BANGI - One month after the Permatang Pauh by-elections and amidst talk of crossing
over of Barisan Nasional MPs to the opposition, Malaysian voters cite increasing
concerns over the state of politics in the country. At the same time, reductions in fuel
prices over the period did little to dampen public worries over inflation and the economic
outlook of the country in general, as found in the opinion poll conducted by Merdeka
Center released today.
The opinion poll, 3rd Quarter 2008 Peninsular Malaysia Voter Opinion Survey was
carried out by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research between 11th and 22nd
September 2008 to gauge voters’ perceptions of current issues, the state of the economy
and leadership.
The poll’s findings hopes to improve the quality of public debate over issues and inform
policymakers, politicians, and grassroots advocacy groups as they respond to citizens.
This opinion poll also provides a snapshot of the state of affairs approximately six
months after the general elections. The survey is a part of Merdeka Center’s series of
opinion polls intended to be carried out on a quarterly basis on top voter concerns and
current issues. The first poll in the series was released in April 2008.
The survey reveals that despite the on-going political developments in the country, onehalf
of Malaysians remained concerned about the state of the economy. This is followed
by an increasing number, now one in every five, who are concerned about political
developments involving the country’s top leaders and government.
Following up on the matter of the leadership transition, the poll also found 43% of voters
reported satisfaction with Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s performance as prime
minister while 40% felt that Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak would make a good prime
minister.
With respect to Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the survey found that the swearing on the
Quran by his accuser did little to change perceptions about the opposition leader – only
15% believed in the allegation of sexual misconduct. On wider public perceptions about
Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, the poll found that 21% believed in allegations that he was
an “agent of the US” and only 13% believed that he was a “sexual criminal” as alleged by
his detractors. At the same time, 51% felt that he was both “a strong and visionary
leader” and “a competent manager of the economy”.
The poll also found that 55% of Malaysian Chinese voters stated awareness of the
upcoming MCA party elections. The survey also noted that one-third of Malaysian
Chinese respondents wanted BN component parties to be ‘outspoken’. The poll also
asked Chinese respondents to state their favorability towards several of candidates vying
for top posts in the party elections.
The Peninsular Malaysia wide telephone survey of 1002 randomly selected registered
voters was carried out between 11th and 22nd September 2008 was funded via Merdeka
Center’s internally generated resources. Respondents were selected using the random,
stratified sampling method and structured along the national electorate profile and
specifically proportional to gender, ethnicity, and state of residence.
About Merdeka Center for Opinion Research
Merdeka Center for Opinion Research was formally established in 2001 as an
independent organization focused on public opinion research and socio-economic
analysis. Its members comprise social scientists and professionals with qualifications in
economics, communications, marketing and law. Merdeka’s mission is to act as a bridge
between ordinary Malaysians and other stakeholders with the leading members of the
nation – by collecting public opinion studies and expressing them through survey results,
analysis and position papers. For details, visit: www.merdeka.org
Contact:
Ibrahim Suffian
Mobile: 012 379 1940
Email: ben@merdeka.org
http://www.merdekacenter.uni.cc/download/News%20Release%20-%20Opinion%20Poll%20Sept%202008.pdf
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