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Muhyiddin’s more popular than Mahathir, but not with Malaysian-Chinese: new poll
- Muhyiddin’s approval rating of 69 per cent is higher than the 56 per cent that predecessor Mahathir saw in March when he left office
- In the survey by Merdeka Centre, 93 per cent of respondents also said they approved of the government’s handling of the pandemic
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As Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration faces growing pressure by political players to call a snap election, Malaysians appear to have accepted his leadership, with a local poll claiming two in three people gave him a positive approval rating.
The government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic was likely a factor in contributing to Muhyiddin’s popularity, with 93 per cent of respondents in the Merdeka Centre’s survey giving officials the thumbs up for their performance.
This survey, carried out between July 15 to August 10, interviewed a group of voters that were reflective of the national electoral profile to gauge voters’ perceptions towards the economy, leadership and current issues.
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In an opinion poll conducted earlier in the year, ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad saw an approval rating of 56 per cent in March, when a political coup caused his Pakatan Harapan coalition to lose its parliamentary majority and led him to resign.
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While Muhyiddin’s overall approval rating stood at 69 per cent, Merdeka Centre’s survey showed a deep ethnic split among voters, with Malaysian-Chinese giving him a positive approval, as compared with 92 per cent from Malay respondents.
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