Opinion Polls Reveal Changing Trends about BN and PR

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Nov 16, 2009

By Masterwordsmith

At the Sembang-Sembang Forum yesterday, Encik Ibrahim Suffian, Head of Programs and a Director of the Merdeka Centre of Opinion Research revealed that the approval rating for Barisan Nasional has improved by 5% while that for Pakatan Rakyat has slipped by 17%.

More importantly, he believed that based on current trends, it is likely that BN will have a bigger win in the next elections ceteris paribus. The middle ground of 10% is relatively small and may not affect the swing in an impactful manner. The warning is out and the writing is on the wall – PR had better shape up or prepare to ship out for BN!!!

According to the results of the public opinion polls, there are no major issues affecting public discourse at the moment. Generally, citizens are relieved that the impact from the economic meltdown has not been that bad. While many believe that the worst is over, they are still very concerned about the economic performance of the country. However, could it be that the respondents are not aware of the economic indicators/current issues that should be used to assess the actual scenario?

Encik Ibrahim highlighted interesting observations from the research that has been conducted by the centre.

* Public approval for the Prime Minister in March 2009 was 46%

* This figure shifted to 43% after he was declared UMNO President

* During the Perak debacle, his rating slipped to 34%

* After his announcement of various liberalisation policies, the rating improved to about 65% because the rakyat seemed to be happier that he announced KPI index and his new policies seemed to address key concerns of the country.

* The main concern of most of the polls is economic issues and not political problems.