35% of people don’t know difference between MP and assemblyman, survey finds

 

A survey by a think tank found that some 6% of the respondents will back a candidate primarily because of the political party they represented. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A survey found that over a third of respondents did not know the difference between an MP and an assemblyman, concluding that more needed to be done to educate Malaysians about the role of elected officials.

Carried out by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), the poll aimed to find out what was the perception of Malaysians as to the role of politicians and elected representatives.

Only 65% of the 2,540 respondents said they knew the difference between an MP (a Member of Parliament at the Federal level) and an assemblyman (in a state legislative assembly).

On the roles they believe these elected representatives play, 30% were of the opinion that an MP’s most important job was to debate and enact legislation in the Dewan Rakyat, while 23% replied that it was to provide a check and balance on the government’s policies and decisions.

Whereas for assemblymen, 25% of the respondents replied that their primary role was to provide aid in the form of cash or basic goods, followed by passing laws (22%) and providing check and balance (20%).

“MPs are perceived to have a role that relates more to the country’s development,” the survey said.

“Assemblymen are perceived as being the ones to be closer to communities and their constituents in providing aid and assistance.”

The poll also showed that only 6% of the respondents said they would vote for a candidate primarily due to the political party the candidate represented.

About 22% said a candidate’s track record and accessibility would influence their decision, while having viable policies that will help develop the nation was the main factor for 37% of the respondents.

Some 70% said they used Facebook as one of the sources of information on politics and politicians, but only 37% said it was their main source. Another social media platform, WhatsApp, was named by 44% of the respondents as a source.

Meanwhile, media organisations, TV3 and Astro Awani registered 49% and 43%, respectively among the survey respondents for their source of information. - FMT