PUTRAJAYA: The people’s support and their assessment of the Unity Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has increased since last September, said Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.
He dismissed the approval rating issued by think tank Merdeka Centre of a drop of 50 per cent for the prime minister.
Rafizi, who is also PKR deputy president, said that based on a survey by PKR, the people’s support and approval rating for the Prime Minister increased after the Unity Government launched several policy papers including the MADANI Economy and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) last September.
He said the people’s support for the Unity Government was low from last May to August because of the fall in Malaysian currency and speculation of the government collapsing by the opposition.
“The Unity Government and Anwar’s leadership are in the most stable state because the internal politics are stable. The people’s support, even if it is status quo, is higher by one or two per cent but it bucks the trend.
“We were concerned then, from May, June and July moving towards the state elections, it (people’s support) was going down because of the fall in Malaysian currency as played up by the opposition, etc. but it has stead up after a series of policies and it has stayed like that.
“Going forward, the Unity Government is rock solid and the public support and approval rating is going up,“ he told a media conference after the simultaneous opening of the Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) and Wanita PKR congress at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here today.
According to Rafizi, the Merdeka Center survey is not based on findings that are important to the people or the government.
“I have every reason to be optimistic when it comes to political stability going forward because we have the upper hand. The challenge now is to translate from good headline numbers because the headline economic numbers are improved.
“A growth for the first time in four, five, six years, I think, we have seen quarter to quarter growth that has never happened before, inflation has become to the lowest 1.8 per cent and 2024 is expected to be better because of better global economic outdoor,“ he added.
Rafizi said that surveys should be viewed as a ‘time series’ and to assess the real situation, the people’s support for Anwar should be compared with the pattern of people’s support during the administration of previous prime ministers.
“We have three prime ministers after Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, followed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin (Yassin) and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. The pattern is the same, it started with high support, then suddenly, after six months and a year it (support) dropped and this is not a strange thing.
“That’s why the report (of the study) needs to be read and understood in the right context… because when a new government takes over, towards the mid-term, its popularity starts to fall,“ he added. – Bernama
