PM dismisses survey on Harapan popularity slump
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed an independent survey which puts Pakatan Harapan's approval rating at 35 percent as of August.
Mahathir said the survey was not-representative of the whole country, and that there was still support for the coalition.
"This census by this private people, they ask a number of people and they make an assumption from that.
"I don't think this is accurate...
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed an independent survey which puts Pakatan Harapan's approval rating at 35 percent as of August.
Mahathir said the survey was not-representative of the whole country, and that there was still support for the coalition.
"This census by this private people, they ask a number of people and they make an assumption from that.
"I don't think this is accurate. As you know during the last election, those people who are great experts in finding out people's opinions, said we were going to lose, but we won," he said at a press conference tonight.
He was speaking after the close of the Harapan lawmakers retreat in Subang
Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that a presentation slide containing survey results conducted by independent pollster Merdeka Center was presented at the retreat.
The statistics showed that Harapan had recorded 87 percent in approval during the 14th general election last year, but began to see a significant drop, particularly in the first half of 2019.
According to a source, Merdeka Center noted that Harapan's approval rating with Chinese and Indian voters had dropped to 41 percent as of August, while 30 percent of Malay voters are still supporting the coalition.
In denying the survey, Mahathir cited the frequent requests for photographs he gets from the public.
"I don't know how they did this survey, but what I know is many people still want to shake hands, take photos, meaning there is still supoort.
"The other (Harapan leaders) also get the same requests. This is proof that there is still support," he said.
He also said there is still support for the Harapan government in Parliament and that it would not be "ousted" or "pulled down."
The reported slump in support for Harapan comes amid continued criticism that the coalition allegedly has made questionable policy decisions, failed to live up to its manifesto, and is constantly politicking.
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