Survey: Najib lost Indian, Chinese support after Bersih rally

ARCHIVES 2012

By admin-s On Jun 2, 2012

(The Malaysian Insider) – Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s approval rating experienced a marked decline among Indian and Chinese voters just weeks after a tumultuous Bersih 3.0 rally, a recent survey has shown.

A Merdeka Center Survey, carried out between May 10 and 18, found that 72 per cent out of Indian voters were satisfied with Najib as prime minister — an eight point drop from February this year.

It also found that Chinese support from the PM had dropped 19 points from a 56 per cent in February. Only 37 per cent from this segment polled now supported Najib.

Malay voter support for Najib, however, experienced a four-point increase, from 74 per cent in February to 79 per cent in May this year.

A total of 1,019 registered voters — 59 per cent Malay, 32 per cent Chinese and 9 per cent Indian —were polled three weeks after the April 28 Bersih rally that took place here.

Both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have gone through great pains to shore up non-Malay voter support ahead of an expected election, which must be called before the middle of next year.

But the findings of the last Merdeka Center suggest that BN’s support, especially among the Indian community — traditionally pro-BN — is slipping way.

The racial overtones of the protests against Bersih-co chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreevenasan had even prompted an MIC minister to defend the former Bar Council chief.Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam had said Ambiga should be protected and her rights respected despite having views contrary to the government’s on electoral reforms.

The survey also found a four-point increase support for the PM among households earning less than RM1,500 a month, rising from 78 per cent in February to 82 per cent last month.