Rakyat feels PH government pandai gaduh saje

MM Online:

New survey shows four in 10 Malaysians thought Pakatan govt more into political disputes than managing country

55% of those polled agreed that internal disputes within PH were a major problem for the coalition’s leadership

Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — A recent survey by a think tank found Malaysians almost evenly split on how well the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition ran the government during its two years in Putrajaya.

A poll of 2,002 Malaysians in 19 parliamentary constituencies by Emir Research — led by Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Rais Hussin — and conducted between January 15 and February 25 this year found 38 per cent or almost four in 10 agreeing that PH was more involved in political disputes than in managing the country.

Those who disagreed only constituted 19 per cent while 43 per cent said they were unsure, according to the survey findings released yesterday.

Just over half or 55 per cent of those polled agreed that internal disputes within PH were a major problem for the coalition’s leadership. Slightly more (56 per cent) felt disputes among PH leaders were a big problem for the government of the day.

“If the sample adequately represents the population of voters in Malaysia, at least five out of every 10 Malaysians viewed ‘disputes among PH leaders’ and ‘disputes among PH components’ as giving problems to the government.

“Additionally, about four out of every 10 Malaysians perceived PH leaders as more involved in politics than presumably in managing the country,” Emir Research said in a statement accompanying its findings.

The survey also showed significant differences between the Malays/Bumiputeras and non-Malays with the former demographic group saying the problem with the PH government and its leaders was underpinned by their disputes. This was less of a concern for the non-Malay demographic group, particularly among Indian Malaysians.

In a subsequent report MM Online clarified:

Dissatisfaction among ‘pessimistic’ Malays led to change in govt, Bersatu-linked think tank suggests

Emir Research's data suggests that Malaysians are pessimistic about their living conditions now, but are also quite hopeful of a better future ahead

Picture by Miera Zulyana

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — A survey by a think tank has suggested that the Malay and rural communities, as well as low-income earners were “more pessimistic” about Malaysia’s future under the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.

In its First Quarterly Poll of 2020, Emir Research said this sentiment had apparently set the stage for the formation of the Malay-dominated Perikatan Nasional, which included Bersatu and its former political enemies Umno and PAS.

“This higher sense of dissatisfaction among the Malays and other Bumiputeras provided the setting for politicians in Malay-based parties who sensed the timing was perfect to go for the jugular to hatch a plot for the demise of the Pakatan Harapan government, which became a reality in the aftermath of the political crisis brought about by Dr Mahathir’s resignation,” it said.

“In sum, the data suggest that Malaysians are pessimistic about their living conditions now, but are also quite hopeful of a better future ahead. When the data is cross-tabulated between the rural and urban dwellers, the former are more optimistic and also hopeful about their current and future living conditions.

“The poll also suggests that comparatively, the Malay/Bumiputera ethnic group seems to be the most pessimistic about current and future living conditions, while the Chinese are the most optimistic lot,” it added.

Emir Research is led by Datuk Rais Hussin, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia supreme council member, who was recently appointed as Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) chairman after pledging support to party president Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin.

According to the research, 84 per cent of Malays and other Bumiputeras polled either felt that the country’s future direction was on the wrong track, or were unsure about it.

In comparison, 72 per cent and 68 per cent among ethnic Indians and Chinese polled respectively felt the same.

The sentiment was similar when asked whether the economy was on a strong footing.

The respondents were also pessimist when asked if family’s life was better now compared to two years ago: with 71 per cent of Malay and other Bumiputeras either answered in the negative or were unsure about it, compared to ethnic Indians (62 per cent) and Chinese (57 per cent).

The poll also warned that support for PH may be affected in the future, if these demographics feel that they are treated better under PN.

“The poll showed that there are discernible urban-rural divides in the respondents' agreement of the positively worded individual and families’ living conditions.

“Compared to the urban sample, more of the rural folks agreed that their families' current living conditions and the expectations of the future are better.

“This pessimism among the urban dwellers, which is a strong base of PH, could spell trouble for the coalition which is now in Opposition,” it said

Emir Research said the survey included 2,002 voters across all 222 Parliamentary constituencies, and was aimed at gauging the public’s wellbeing in terms of their perceptions, expectations, and worries.

The survey was conducted between January 15 and February 25, 2020.

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kt notes: Emir Research is a think-tanh headed by Bersatu supreme council member Rais Hussin (we're talking about the Muhyiddin's Bersatu, not Atuk's).

Rais Hussin was/is(?) Bersatu strategist (a position which was scorned at publicly by Mahathir because the Old Man didn't/doesn't like 'independent' thinkers like Rais Hussin, wakakaka.

Of the Bersatu pack, I respect Rais Hussin as a man who knows what he's talking about. I was thinking how nice it would have been if the DAP or PKR recruited him but alas ...

Anyway, back to the research findings, it sure doesn't look good for PH if Malaysians feel they're a quarrelsome pack.