The Malaysian Insight

ECONOMIC concern remains the top contentious issue among voters, whose support of the ruling government has soured, according pollster Merdeka Centre in its latest report.

In the report titled Malaysia Political Developments and Trajectories Update, it said public mood remains adversely cautious with 61% of those surveyed believe the country is moving in the wrong direction.

Of the 738 respondents polled nationwide in late November, 26% placed economic concern as the top reason why they believed the Pakatan Harapan government was headed in the wrong direction.

The respondents broke down their concerns into: unfavourable economic condition in general (10.9% of respondents), high cost of living/inflation (9%), lower income/minimum income/wages issues (2%) unemployment (1.6%) and weakening of ringgit (1.6%)

In a separate question, when respondents were asked the biggest problems they believed the country was facing, 61.5% said it was economic concerns followed by racial issues (7.5%), leadership (4.2%), social and public safety (3.1%) and politics (1.5%).

The concern over the economy were comparable across all ethnic groups, with 62.8% of Malays, 59.5% of Chinese, 59.4% of Indians, 70.1% of Bumiputra Muslims and 53.2% of non-Muslim Bumiputra.

The five most important issues voters were concerned about were inflation (53.1%), job opportunities (22.2%), corruption (20.8%), preservation of Malay rights/fair treatment of all races (20.5%) and political stability (17.8%).

“Confidence in Pakatan Harapan to run the economy continues to decline as discourse over government expenditure, sale of assets, and uncertainties on proposed public infrastructure initiative (such as toll road nationalisation) mounts,” the report said.

It added that the government’s unveiling of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 has not arrested the pace of decline in confidence.

As of November 22, just 20% of respondents across all ethnic groups felt the country was moving in the right direction, down from a peak of 64% in June 2018.

“Voter sentiment across the board has continued a gradual slide over sensationalised public issues during the past six months.

“Those issues included Jawi lessons in vernacular schools, statements on civil servants’ pension scheme and critical allowances, arrests of DAP lawmakers for alleged LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) links, and increased public debate on race and religious matters,” the report said. – January 5, 2020.