Editor’s note: Additional leaked slides from the same Merdeka Center survey, containing non-Malay and overall approval ratings, surfaced after this report was published. Malaysiakini subsequently reported that the broader findings placed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ahead overall.
Leaked findings from a Merdeka Center survey on voters’ “approval ratings” have painted a seemingly grim picture for government leaders, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi trailing far behind in Malay support.
Topping the charts, with 62 percent of Malays surveyed expressing their satisfaction with him, is Umno exile-turned-returnee Khairy Jamaluddin, followed by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (49 percent) and PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (48 percent).
While Anwar received a 45 percent rating in terms of "satisfaction", PAS president Hadi Awang garnered 41 percent, ahead of former economy minister Rafizi Ramli (36 percent).
Zahid, who is also the Umno president and BN chairperson, ranked as the leader with the least amount of support with a 31 percent rating.
The findings were part of a study by Merdeka Center titled: “National Public Opinion Survey: Perception Towards Economy, Leadership, and Current Issues”.
The survey was conducted between March 12 and April 9. However, only the slide on the Malay approval ratings is known publicly. No other information or findings have been released, including sample size and the sentiments of other communities.
Malaysiakini has contacted Merdeka Center for details on the matter and was made to understand that the slide was leaked.
Besides approval ratings, the slide also detailed “dissatisfaction” rankings, with Zahid emerging as the leader with the highest rating at 60 percent, while Anwar was not far behind at 51 percent.
Rafizi and Hadi both registered at 48 and 43 percent respectively, while Samsuri and Khairy levelled for the lowest dissatisfaction of the group at 26 percent.
For Anwar, the findings could be a bad sign.
Anwar’s approval rating last May was 55 percent across the board while his disapproval rating was at 36 percent. There was no ethnic breakdown released for last year's approval ratings.
However, the same 2025 survey did find that only 37 percent of Malays felt the country was headed in the right direction, while another 55 percent felt it was going down the wrong path.
As for Zahid, his poor approval from Umno's core supporter base could hamper aspirations he revealed recently that he wanted to become prime minister.
Field day for opposition
The opposition, meanwhile, is having a field day with the latest survey findings.
Yesterday, Harakah Daily rewrote an op-ed piece penned by Universiti Utara Malaysia’s Afifi Abdul Razak regarding the findings.
The PAS mouthpiece highlighted that Samsuri had received a higher “net approval” compared to Anwar and Zahid, arguing that the survey’s findings send an “important political message” to Perikatan Nasional.
The political observer's op-ed, published by Sinar Harian on Sunday, also listed him as a fellow at one “Future Research”, a group which appears to position itself as a PN-aligned think tank operating under an Islamic research framework.
In his piece, Afifi noted that while Muhyiddin recorded a marginally higher approval rating than Samsuri, the former prime minister also recorded a higher dissatisfaction rate.
“A leader with high support, but equally high rejection, may struggle to draw fence-sitters during an election.
“Samsuri’s numbers, by contrast, show a better combination: decent acceptance and low rejection, (thus) giving him more room to attract moderate voters and those who have yet to make up their minds,” Afifi said.
Outperforming leaders
In a Facebook post yesterday, Kuala Selangor PAS Youth lauded the ratings received by Samsuri, labelling him a leader who has been tested not just through ideas and opinions, but also the “weight of administrative responsibility”.
“The rakyat do not necessarily seek a leader who wishes to comment on everything - sometimes the people seek a leader who can show results,” it added.
A posting on the Kedah PAS Youth’s Facebook page echoed similar sentiments, highlighting that while Khairy recorded higher approval ratings than Samsuri, the former health minister does not lead any main political party.
This is contrary to the Terengganu menteri besar, who is also the PN chairperson.
Separately, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz highlighted that the survey showed Muhyiddin "outperforming" PKR president Anwar, Zahid, and co-leader of Parti Bersama Malaysia, Rafizi.
“Muhyiddin ranks among the most accepted national leaders among Malay voters, sitting in the top tier alongside Khairy.
“More significantly, he rates better than the sitting and several government leaders, demonstrating that despite being out of government, his political influence and credibility among Malay voters remains relevant and competitive,” Tun Faisal asserted. - Mkini
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