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SHAH ALAM – A total of 73.4% of voters in Selangor have a positive perception of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, according to a survey conducted by Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE).
IDE executive chairman Datuk Mohammad Redzuan Othman said the results of the voter perception study ahead of the Selangor election on August 12 showed that 26.3% of that total saw Anwar as a leader who can drive the Madani agenda towards a better nation.
He said 16.9% believe the prime minister was able to unite all the races, 16.1% were confident that Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, was a leader who fights corruption and abuse of power while another 14.1% see him as capable of curbing the rise in living costs.
Redzuan said the survey was carried out by IDE from May 12 to 15 involving 1,693 respondents covering 56 state constituencies.
It also revealed that only 18.7% of the respondents had a negative perception of Anwar. Among others, they were sceptical of him rejuvenating the economy and championing Malay interests and Islam.
Redzuan said the results of the study also showed that 58% would vote for PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming state polls, while 16% will opt for Perikatan Nasional (PN).
He said 26% of the respondents were still fence-sitters, although, among them, 69.1% had a positive perception of Anwar.
The survey also covered first-time voters aged between 18 and 24, with 50% of them backing PH-BN, PN (17%) and fence-sitters (33%), he said.
Redzuan also said that 78.9% of respondents were enthusiastic about going to the ballots, while 68.5% of first-time voters felt the same.
In the 15th general election (GE15), Selangor recorded a 78.6% voter turnout.
Redzuan said Anwar’s events at several universities and in Selangor, in particular, had a positive impact on his popularity, which the survey revealed was at about 80% currently.
“There has been a positive impact that has prompted a lot of changes among voters, especially involving Umno members, towards the federal government, after Anwar revealed how he had stopped attempts to deregister the party,” he said.
However, Redzuan said voter trends will be much clearer in the second week of the polls campaign, adding that typically, 20% of fence sitters would have made up their minds two days before polling day. – Bernama, July 20, 2023