Survey shows racial split in support for Dr M, Anwar

Anwar Ibrahim had more support among non-Malay voters, while Mahathir Mohamad had steady support among the Malays.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s popularity dropped sharply among Chinese and Indian voters in 2019, according to a survey by the Merdeka Center.

A preference poll between the prime minister and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim found that only 14% of Indian voters and 20% of Chinese voters preferred Mahathir.

The figure had dropped from 69% support among Indians and 57% support among Chinese voters in July.

However, Mahathir maintained a consistent and rising level of support among Malay voters, from 46% in January to 58% in November.

The converse was seen in support for Anwar: more Chinese and Indian voters were in favour of him while his Malay support dwindled to only 13% in November.

While Mahathir’s popularity dropped among non-Malay voters, Anwar’s popularity spiked.

His preference rating went from 23% to 62% among Indian votes and from 18% to 58% among Chinese.

However, his popularity among Malay respondents dropped drastically throughout 2019, from 31% in October 2018 to 13% in November 2019.