Support for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has fallen less than a year of being in power, as concerns over the economy dominated voters’ minds.
The premier’s approval rating dropped to 50% from 68% in December, according to a poll by Merdeka Center for Opinion Research conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 24. The survey also showed that dissatisfaction over the government’s handling of the economy climbed to 43% from 19%.
The ruling coalition’s overall rating has declined to 41% from 54%, with 78% of voters citing economic concerns as the biggest issue that they face. While Malaysia’s economic expansion accelerated in the July-September period, growth remained below the quarterly performance in the past decade, excluding the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
Even though Anwar has a supermajority in parliament that no Malaysian leader has obtained since 2008, he has spent his first year being tentative about undoing hefty subsidies and broadening government revenue - unpopular measures that were seen necessary but tricky amid political volatility and rising right-wing fundamentalism.
“The survey reflects the expectations held by the electorate on the administration to regenerate economic growth as well as address longstanding anxiety over inflation and tepid wage growth,” Merdeka Center said in a statement on Wednesday.
The data showed that the drop in the government’s rating was also seen in the past two administrations, which only polled above 40% after a year in power.
--With assistance from Ram Anand.
(Updates with historical data from survey)
