Poll shows divided Malays
Malays are split over whether affirmative action should continue and if they actually benefit enough from government programmes, a public opinion poll on political values show.
The poll by the independent Merdeka Center released today also found a majority of Malays surveyed — 70 per cent — felt that corruption among the community’s leaders was the main threat to the Malay/Bumiputera political position as opposed to “demands made by other races in the country.”
The results of this latest survey suggest Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) still has its work cut out in their bid to win back lost support since Election 2008.
Umno’s leadership has been particularly sensitive about the Malay ground even as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues to push his reform agenda.
Najib has been forced to hold back several drastic reforms to affirmative action policies because many within Umno are convinced the majority of Malays will return to the party if it becomes more strident in protecting Malay interests.
But the latest Merdeka Center survey showed that the Malays were equally split on government assistance programmes with 45 per cent of them believing that it only benefits the rich and politically connected.
About 48 per cent of the Malays surveyed believed that such programmes have benefited the ordinary public.
The poll was conducted between January 21 and April 26 to gauge public attitudes towards a number of issues such as national unity, integrity, democratic participation and affirmative action, said Merdeka Center in a statement.
