An overwhelming majority of Malaysian voters are tired of political bickering and want BN and Pakatan Rakyat to have some form of national reconciliation, says the Universiti Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections (Umcedel).
Its director Mohd Redzuan Othman (left) said its survey of 1,546 voters found that 69 percent of voters want reconciliation, while a further 19 percent disagreed and 12 percent are unsure.
He said the proportion of those who are in agreement over wanting a reconciliation are similar regardless of race.
“We did not go beyond (the question), just whether they are positive or not (to the idea of national reconciliation) and it seems that society thinks it is a good thing.
“As to how (to go about the reconciliation) I think politicians have their ways and means to find how to do it,” he told a press conference today.
The same survey also found that 55 percent of respondents believe that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim should not resign for failing to win Putrajaya in the May 5 general election.
Its director Mohd Redzuan Othman (left) said its survey of 1,546 voters found that 69 percent of voters want reconciliation, while a further 19 percent disagreed and 12 percent are unsure.He said the proportion of those who are in agreement over wanting a reconciliation are similar regardless of race.
“We did not go beyond (the question), just whether they are positive or not (to the idea of national reconciliation) and it seems that society thinks it is a good thing.
“As to how (to go about the reconciliation) I think politicians have their ways and means to find how to do it,” he told a press conference today.
The same survey also found that 55 percent of respondents believe that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim should not resign for failing to win Putrajaya in the May 5 general election.
He added that the public expectation on BN was to win with a two-third majority in parliament or for Pakatan Rakyat to take over Putrajaya.
However, the nation is left with a stalemate since neither materialised, and now people just want politicians to sit down and solve problems and for the bickering to end, he said.
He added that the reconciliation should be between the two coalitions as a whole, rather than its component parties.
“It does not work that way. If it is just between two parties, that is not reconciliation. That is divide-and-rule.
“I am talking about national reconciliation that gets everybody in and everybody on board,” he said when asked about deputy Umno chief Muhyiddin Yassin’s suggestion to unite PAS and Umno.
The survey comprised of face-to-face interviews with voters in peninsula Malaysia between Aug 15 and Sept 10 this year, with a sample that Redzuan says is representative of the voters.
The same survey also found that 55 percent of respondents believe that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim should not resign for failing to win Putrajaya in the May 5 general election.
Redzuan declines to reveal findings on Najib
Voters were also asked whether Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should resign for failing to lead BN to a two-third majority in parliament, but Redzuan declined to reveal the findings despite repeated questions from the press on the matter.
He said the findings were “unflattering” and past experience had shown that he gets into trouble after every press conference from people who are “unwilling to accept reality”.
He added that the decision to redact the findings is his own, out of respect for his superiors and the university’s administration who would be receiving the bulk of the brickbats directed against him.
On another matter, he agreed to a question that the 13th general election can be termed as a “Chinese tsunami” as suggested by Najib.
“What else can you say about it?” he retorted.
Throughout Redzuan’s presentation, he had highlighted a sharp divide in opinion between Malays and Chinese on several issues, such as whether the Election Commission had performed adequately or whether the Black 505 rallies against the election results were meant to cause chaos.
“I would sum it up like this: Three months after the general election, the status quo has not changed, meaning that Chinese voters have strong sentiments that are unfavourable to the ruling party, whereas Malays and Indians lean more towards them,” he said.
However, the nation is left with a stalemate since neither materialised, and now people just want politicians to sit down and solve problems and for the bickering to end, he said.
He added that the reconciliation should be between the two coalitions as a whole, rather than its component parties.
“It does not work that way. If it is just between two parties, that is not reconciliation. That is divide-and-rule.
“I am talking about national reconciliation that gets everybody in and everybody on board,” he said when asked about deputy Umno chief Muhyiddin Yassin’s suggestion to unite PAS and Umno.
The survey comprised of face-to-face interviews with voters in peninsula Malaysia between Aug 15 and Sept 10 this year, with a sample that Redzuan says is representative of the voters.
The same survey also found that 55 percent of respondents believe that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim should not resign for failing to win Putrajaya in the May 5 general election.
Redzuan declines to reveal findings on Najib
Voters were also asked whether Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should resign for failing to lead BN to a two-third majority in parliament, but Redzuan declined to reveal the findings despite repeated questions from the press on the matter.
He said the findings were “unflattering” and past experience had shown that he gets into trouble after every press conference from people who are “unwilling to accept reality”.
He added that the decision to redact the findings is his own, out of respect for his superiors and the university’s administration who would be receiving the bulk of the brickbats directed against him.
On another matter, he agreed to a question that the 13th general election can be termed as a “Chinese tsunami” as suggested by Najib.
“What else can you say about it?” he retorted.
Throughout Redzuan’s presentation, he had highlighted a sharp divide in opinion between Malays and Chinese on several issues, such as whether the Election Commission had performed adequately or whether the Black 505 rallies against the election results were meant to cause chaos.
“I would sum it up like this: Three months after the general election, the status quo has not changed, meaning that Chinese voters have strong sentiments that are unfavourable to the ruling party, whereas Malays and Indians lean more towards them,” he said.
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