Anwar’s approval rating still better than Muhyiddin’s, claims ex-minister

 

The people would still choose Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin (right) if the two went head-to-head, said a former minister.

PETALING JAYA: Former minister Salleh Said Keruak claims the prime minister’s flagging approval rating would compare favourably to that of his main challenger, Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.

Salleh made the comment in the wake of a recent opinion poll which showed Anwar Ibrahim’s public support slipping.

Merdeka Center’s latest figures showed Anwar’s approval rating had fallen 18 points since December and now sat at 50%.

In a Facebook post, Salleh, who is also a former Sabah chief minister, said “it is not right to talk about (Anwar’s) approval rating on a stand-alone basis” and claimed the people would still choose him over Muhyiddin if the two went head-to-head.

“Most people will be in agreement that if we were to judge simultaneous approval ratings, Anwar would fare 10 times better than Muhyiddin,” he asserted, although there are no publicly available figures to support it.

During his prime ministership, Muhyiddin’s approval rating reached as high as 67% in April 2021. However, after public perception shifted in the months following and members of the government withdrew support for him, Muhyiddin resigned in August to make way for Barisan Nasional’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“The real test of leadership is during times of crisis,” Salleh said.

“During the pandemic, Muhyiddin’s leadership caused many people pain and suffering because of his lockdowns … never in the history of the world has a government’s policies given rise to rampant cases of agony and suicide.

“(Anwar) has nothing to worry about as long as Muhyiddin is his challenger.”

Anwar himself has questioned the research house’s findings, insisting its sample size of just over 1,200 respondents was too small. - FMT