Najib’s popularity plunged because rhetoric did not match reality, say analysts
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s popularity has been hit by the rising cost of living faced by ordinary Malaysians.
(TMI) – The gap between rhetoric from Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration and the reality of Malaysian lives is behind the 10% slide in the prime minister’s popularity in the latest Merdeka Center survey, say analysts.
They told The Malaysian Insider that there was also a gap between what the Najib administration demanded from the Malaysian public and how it behaved with public funds.
“The Government is unable to show that it is sharing the financial burden by eliminating waste.
“Instead the public sees that the burden to be more prudent is on them,” political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said when commenting on the latest survey results.
Pollster Merdeka Center said yesterday that its latest survey showed that Najib’s approval rating took a 10% dive from 62% in August 2013 to 52% in December.
The survey was conducted between December 4 and 12, 2013, after the reduction of fuel subsidies in September 2013, and the tabling of the Budget 2014 during which the Government announced the introduction of the goods and services tax (GST) in 2015.
Merdeka Center said that concerns over the economy, particularly the rising cost of living and inflation, topped the list with 67% of respondents.
Additionally, 54% of respondents reported that they did not believe in statements from government leaders about the economic situation, revealing the gap between the rosy picture that the administration paints of the economy and the pain in the pocket for consumers.
Khoo said raising the per capita income of Malaysians remains a steep challenge for Najib even as the public chafes at electricity tariff hikes and rising petrol prices.
“A big part of the problem is the labour policy and what industries practise. The Government puts a lot of emphasis on increasing productivity and skilled labour but, at the same time, there is an addiction to cheap foreign labour.”
Khoo added that while the administration expects the public to tighten their belts, nothing was done about government waste as seen in numerous auditor general’s reports.
Corruption remained a persistent problem, said Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam. Graft leads to a rise in the cost of doing business which in turns leads to inflation, the retired top civil servant said.
When businesses have to pay bribes, the extra cost would be passed down to the consumer, said Navaratnam, who is chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
But rising inflation was not the only issue, he said, as the administration did not appear to deal firmly with problems, such as the education system and presence of extremists.
