Poll: Najib won't be good as PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 – With confidence in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a new low, how do Malaysians feel about Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister?

A survey conducted by independent research firm Merdeka Center in the first half of July showed that there is definitely some negative rub-off from the Barisan Nasional and some of the unpopular moves by the government e.g. the recent fuel price hike, as only 34 per cent of those polled thought Najib would make a good prime minister.

As expected, 58 per cent of the people said they were dissatisfied with Umno as a political party and felt it did not reflect the "aspirations and needs of the people in Malaysia". However, a high level of satisfaction in the Pakatan Rakyat state governments – 57 per cent -- was recorded.

The survey which polled only registered voters aged 21+ found that only 40 per cent of the voters polled in Peninsular Malaysia said they were satisfied with Barisan Nasional while 57 per cent expressed satisfaction with Pakatan Rakyat. And only 42 per cent said they were happy with the Prime Minister's performance.

Not surprisingly, only 28 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the way things were going in the country. The biggest concern is the economy with 59 per cent saying they were "worried over economic-related issues", followed by 10per cent citing concern over political matters.

When asked if they felt Barisan Nasional would be able to fulfill its election promises, 55 per cent said no. Some post-election moves like the disbursement of development funds to a federal body instead of directly channeling it to the Pakatan Rakyat state governments proved widely unpopular. Only 30 per cent of the people agreed with the move.

A majority of those polled – 66 per cent , believe that the allegations against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are politically motivated to disrupt his political career. In fact, 55 per cent of them did not believe in the allegations. Of this, the strongest support for Anwar comes from the Chinese and Indians polled.

Keeping in mind that the poll was carried out before Anwar's arrest and the surfacing of the Pas-Umno talks, confidence in the institutions that would handle the sodomy allegations against him is low with just 33 per cent polled saying they were confident the police, judiciary and Attorney-General would carry out their roles in a fair and independent manner.

-TMI