In February, Merdeka Centre came out with a survey that said that PMX Anwar has a 68 percent approval rating.
In response, I wrote a letter to FMT to question the validity of the survey.
In that letter, I contend that rather than 68 percent, Anwar probably has an approval rating of around 36 percent.
This was my contention in February.
Today, however, if the Merdeka Centre came out with a survey that said Anwar has a 68 percent approval rating, I would agree with its finding.
From the vibe I am getting, saying Anwar has an approval rating of around 60 to 70 percent is about right, although his approval rating is probably closer to 60 percent than it is to 70 percent.
There are a few reasons why I have changed my mind.
I did not believe Anwar had an approval rating of 68 percent in February for several reasons.
The first has to do with Zahid Hamidi. Even before GE 15 commenced, there was a widespread belief, especially amongst the Malays, that some collusion was happening between Zahid Hamidi and Anwar without their consent.
The events that unfolded in the wake of GE 15 only confirmed their suspicion further.
Post GE 15 that Zahid Hamidi would sack and suspend Umno leaders like Khairy and Hishammuddin, who questioned his conduct, only inflamed the Malays' sense of betrayal further.
Anwar going after Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders, who the Malay electorate was pinning their hopes on to keep the PH government in check, further alienated him from the Malay electorate.
At the same time, Anwar made some highly questionable decisions, like appointing Nazri Aziz as the ambassador to the US, hiring his daughter, Nurul Izzah, as his special adviser on economics and finance and seeking a confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat while threatening to fire any MP that voted against him, also had cast a shadow in the minds of his supporters.
For these reasons, I highly doubted that Anwar had a 68 percent approval rating in February.
Today, however, much has changed.
Today, I sense that the Malays have gotten over their sense of betrayal. If they have any sense of betrayal left, it is mostly directed towards Zahid Hamidi, not Anwar.
Part of the reason the Malay electorate finds it easier to forgive Anwar than Zahid Hamidi, I suppose, is probably because they feel that Anwar has a right to conspire behind their back, considering the kind of persecutions and humiliations that he had endured in the last 25 years. Anwar has gone to jail twice and endured repeated humiliation in his quest to become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. If anyone has earned the right to act in an underhanded manner to reach Putrajaya, it is Anwar.
That Anwar has not let down the Malays, despite conspiring behind their back, has also softened the hearts of the Malays.
While the Malays would probably bristle with indignation if asked to stand behind Zahid Hamidi, standing behind Anwar is not something they cannot persuade themselves to do. That Zahid Hamidi has taken the backseat while giving Anwar all the limelight will likely persuade the Malays to stand behind Anwar without offending their sense of self-respect.
That the leaders of the Malays in the opposition, be it Muhyiddin, Hadi or Mahathir, are weak, sick, old or acting in a rather strange and alarming manner recently is also persuading the Malays to see Anwar in a more positive light.
While the Malays were initially upset with Anwar for going after Bersatu leaders like Muhyiddin, Muhyiddin was not able to defend himself or any of his team members effectively against Anwar, has made him look weak. It appears that Muhyiddin is not a person that knows how to get anything by himself. Everything has to be given to him on a silver platter. When put to the test, Muhyiddin comes out looking rather helpless and timid.
In contrast, Anwar will not give up until he reaches his aim, even if you throw him in prison twice.
Mahathir is extremely old, while Hadi is sick. Not only that, but both of them have also been acting in a rather strange and alarming manner recently. While Malaysians can take and do expect some level of racial and religious rhetoric in our political discourse, Hadi and Mahathir have gone too far off tangent with their take on race and religion. They have gone so far it is raising some questions about their mental and emotional fitness.
Considering the flaws and shortcomings of all the other Malay leaders, the Malay view towards Anwar has also softened because they have no other leader of calibre they can count on for leadership save for Anwar.
As for his supporters in PH, the issue they had with Anwar in regard to the appointment of Zahid Hamidi, Nazri Aziz and Nurul Izzah has been completely forgotten and forgiven. For a reason only his supporters know, Anwar is adored by the PH crowd like a favourite child. In their eyes, he can do no wrong. No matter how often he disappoints them, they will probably still love him to the moon and back.
For all these reasons, if the Merdeka Centre comes out with a survey that says Anwar has a 68 percent approval rating today, I will likely be inclined to believe it is true.
In February, I thought Anwar would likely lose in the upcoming 6-state election. Today, he will probably win.
Anwar today has the mandate of the people. The only question is whether he can make the necessary arrangement to translate the mandate into votes.
If he can, unless PN comes up with a brilliant campaign of unparalleled genius in the next month, the 6-state election is for Anwar to lose.
Nehru Sathiamoorthy is a columnist at FMT, a mathematics teacher in the Klang Valley and a seeker of the meaning of life. So far, there are three things that he holds to be unequivocally true. The first is that the purpose of life is to pursue happiness, the second is that you cannot be happy unless you carry your fair share of the world's weight and the third is that you can never underestimate your ability to take your own side.
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