UUM survey: M'sians gave Madani economic policies an 'A grade'

A survey by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and two NGOs has indicated that most Malaysians approved of “30 economic initiatives” by the Anwar Ibrahim administration.

The survey report said the 30 policies scored 2,457 out of 3,000 points among the respondents, which was 82 percent, thus earning an “A grade”.

“Findings from this survey dispel claims by some that the economic policies under the Malaysia Madani concept were directionless and that the public was not satisfied by the Unity Government’s efforts to help those in need, combat corruption, and spur economic growth,” read the report.

Signing off the survey report is UUM vice-chancellor Mohd Fo’ad Sakdan, as well as senior lecturers Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, Zainudin Omar, and Mazli Mutazam, among others.

Notably, Kamarul Zaman was once a special officer to former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

This survey purportedly involved 4,606 respondents chosen through random stratified sampling, representing 21.5 million voters. Established commercial market survey firms typically use 1,400 respondents.

The report does not list the total number chosen from each stratum - typical in surveys by market research firms - nor the two NGOs involved in the survey. The scoring method and how the 3,000 points are divided are not clear. The margin of error is not stated.

Chicken and egg question

The respondents were interviewed face-to-face and were asked 30 questions where they could choose one of the following responses: “strongly agree”, “agree”, “disagreed”, “strongly disagreed”, and “not sure”.

The question that had the most negative responses (62 percent disapproval) was when respondents were asked if they agreed with the government’s decision to lift chicken and egg subsidies.

It is unsure if the respondents were briefed that while price controls for dressed chicken were lifted, subsidies for chicken eggs nationwide are still in place.

Strangely, 53 percent of respondents did not agree with the government’s policy to remove subsidies for the top 10 percent of electricity users, while maintaining subsidies for the rest.

In terms of positives, the Anwar administration scored best (92 percent approval) in “incentivising” Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) to disburse RM60 million to poor farmers last December.

Bernas is owned by business tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary’s Perspective Lane (M) Sdn Bhd, with one golden share held by the government.

In 2020, the Muhyiddin Yassin administration extended Bernas’ concession to import rice until Jan 15, 2031. The company enjoys a monopoly in rice imports.

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