Anwar gains more believers after March 8 polls

AUG 5 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will win the Permatang Pauh by-election by a mile. And Pakatan Rakyat could end up snaring more seats if snap elections were held soon.

This scenario is not far-fetched judging by findings of a recent survey which debunks the notion that there is widespread remorse bias among Malaysians for supporting the Opposition in Election 2008.

Indeed, the poll shows that the sentiment towards Pakatan Rakyat has strengthened since March 8, especially among Chinese and Indians voters. The comprehensive survey on political developments in the country saw more than 3,000 people being interviewed last month.

Just over 31 per cent of those polled said that their view of the Opposition has remained the same since March 8 while 36.7 per cent said that their view of the Opposition has improved.

Only 22 per cent of respondents gave the Opposition the thumbs down.

The Malaysian Insider sighted the poll findings which confirm that the seismic shift in the political landscape was not a flash in the pan but the result of deep dissatisfaction with the Barisan Nasional and the path the country was taking. Also, it shows a country that has become even more polarised along political, racial and religious lines since the general election.

On March 8, the Opposition alliance of Pas-PKR-DAP denied Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the ruling coalition its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and took control of Perak, Kedah, Penang and Selangor. This outcome surprised political pundits who believed that it was a fluke, the unintended consequence of Malaysians wanting to register a protest vote.

In the months since then newspapers have carried reports based on anecdotal evidence to suggest that Malaysians have little confidence in the Opposition and were regretting their decision to vote for Pakatan Rakyat candidates on March 8. In a column in the New Straits Times, group editor Syed Nadzri put forward five reasons why Anwar could lose the by-election in Permatang Pauh. He listed reason No. 5 as voter sentiment.

"It cannot be denied that the ground has shifted much since March 8 with a change in state government and, with that, political leaning. It cannot be denied too that some of the policy changes instituted by the DAP-led Penang administration have not gone down well with at least some of the 58,449 registered voters in Permatang Pauh, 69.4 per cent of whom are Malays, 24.5 per cent Chinese and 5.7 per cent Indians.

"BN is expected to capitalise on this to the core.''

Clearly, the survey on political developments in Malaysia shows that the non-Malay support for the Opposition is intact and may have strengthened since Election 2008. More than 45 per cent of Chinese polled said their view of the Opposition has improved while 33.9 per cent said the perception has remained the same. Only 8 per cent said that their view of Opposition has deteriorated.

The pattern was the same with the Indians. Just under 5 per cent of Indians said that their opinion of the Opposition had suffered since March 8.

Fifty-five per cent of Malays felt that their opinion of the Opposition was the same or had improved since Election 2008. With this sentiment, Anwar will be the overwhelming favourite to return to Parliament, regardless of who the BN fields in Permatang Pauh.

For he will be preaching to a larger pool of believers — Malaysians.

-TMI