Most Malaysians want a say in Umno leaders polls
The survey revealed that 19 per cent of those polled wanted Umno to treat all races fairly. Among the Malay voters, 19 per cent wanted the party to "continue leading the nation" and 15 per cent said "the administration of the country be further improved".
The Malaysian Insider
Most Malaysians surveyed want their views considered in choosing Umno leaders and they also say that corruption is the most serious problem afflicting the party that has provided every prime minister since independence in 1957.
In the opinion poll by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research and academics from the International Islamic University Malaysia, 79 per cent of voters said that "UMNO delegates must take into consideration the views of ordinary Malaysians in determining UMNO leadership line up as it influences national politics."
Only 16 per cent felt the selection was the party's internal affairs. The poll was conducted among 1,031 registered from Feb 4 to 16 to gauge voters' perception ahead of Umno's party polls this month.
"This survey indicates Malaysian public's keen interest in Umno's election," Merdeka Centre chief Ben Suffian said in a statement today.
"They also have strong views about the problems affecting the party while at the same time harbour high hopes that those elected to fill up various key positions in the party will be able to fulfil their wishes," he added.
Those polled in the telephone survey, with a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, comprised 57 per cent Malays, 31 per cent Chinese and 12 per cent Indians based on random stratified sampling according to state, ethnicity and gender, the Merdeka Centre said.
It said as a result of the ruling Barisan Nasional's poor showing in the 2008 general elections, the dominant Umno is now at the crossroads of national politics and is embarking on a challenging task to regain voters' confidence.
The survey also gauged voters' perception towards issues affecting Umno and their hopes for the party. Some 61 per cent the voters said that corruption is the most serious problem affecting Umno these days followed by "failure to understand the condition of the people" (13 per cent), "race-based" (6 per cent) and "weak leadership" (6 per cent).
The survey revealed that 19 per cent of those polled wanted Umno to treat all races fairly. Among the Malay voters, 19 per cent wanted the party to "continue leading the nation" and 15 per cent said "the administration of the country be further improved".
Asked what criteria of leadership they think most important to be emulated by Umno leaders, 21 per cent of those polled said "being just to the rakyat", "close to the people" (11 per cent), "being honest" (9 per cent), "religiously educated" (8 per cent), and "being responsible and free from corruption" (5 per cent).
They were also polled about the next Umno deputy president after Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak succeeds Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as party president later this month.
Some 58 per cent of Malay voters said they were confident that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was capable of making their wishes come true while 35 per cent and 29 per cent of the voters had their confidence in Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib respectively.
