Anwar struggles to gain more Malay support despite efforts
(Focus Malaysia) – The ‘unity’ government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is facing a challenge in gaining support and confidence from the Malay community in Peninsular Malaysia, according to a survey conducted by five mainstream media outlets and research firm O2 Malaysia.
The survey involved 35,077 respondents from all ethnicities and showed that while non-Malay communities were generally satisfied with the government’s actions, a majority of the Malay respondents were not.
This is not good news for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance ahead of the crucial state elections this year.
Only 15% of Malay respondents were satisfied with the government’s efforts to fulfil the 15th General Election manifesto, compared to 71% who were not satisfied.
On the other hand, other ethnicities showed a higher level of confidence in the unity government’s ability to realise the manifesto, with Indians at 64%, Chinese at 58%, Bumiputera Sarawak at 52%, Bumiputera Sabah at 50%, and 49% representing other races.
Overall, more than 51% of all respondents were not satisfied with the government’s efforts to fulfil its promises, compared to 25% who were satisfied.
Nevertheless, to spread the government’s philosophy and plans to a larger segment of the population, the PM has emphasised the importance of deputy ministers in conveying the government’s message and playing a role in formulating government policies.
During the unity government Deputy Ministers Retreat Program 2023 at Seri Perdana, Anwar discussed the need for deputy ministers to understand the philosophy and ideas behind the decisions made by the government to ensure they can be explained to the public more effectively.
Overall, the survey results indicate that gaining support and confidence from the Malay community is a key challenge for the unity government, which may need to take specific actions to address this issue to fulfil its manifesto and improve its overall performance.
