PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan would need a voter turnout of more than 80% to enable it to return to Putrajaya, a survey finds.
It also showed that the perception of political fatigue among voters is unjustified.
Professor Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman of Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE)
Prof Redzuan presented the survey titled "Mood of the Nation” that was jointly conducted by IDE and Toyu University in Japan.
IDE is a think-tank under the Selangor government, which is currently under Pakatan’s rule
According to him, in the 13th General Election (GE13) for the first time, Barisan Nasional lost its stronghold over Putrajaya with the highest voter turnout in the country’s history at 83%.
"We are not making a prediction but an understanding of the political process and trying to put the meaning into the events during the campaigning period of the 15th General Election.
"A week before the dissolution, the survey showed that 80% were eager to vote. This showed that the perception that there is political fatigue among voters, which may lead them not wanting to vote is unwarranted.
"The most eager to come out to vote were those between 21 and 30 years old; 80.4% were between 31 and 60, and 79.4% were 61 years old and above.
"Of those unsure to vote, 19.1% were between 18 and 20, while 18.6% were between 21 and 30 years old,” said Prof Redzuan.
He also said prior to the Parliament dissolution, the mood of the voters in four constituencies of Gombak, Tambun, Permatang Pauh and Nibong Tebal showed that a high percentage of the locals were eager to come out to vote.
"The survey conducted between Oct 24 and Nov 12 in the four parliamentary constituencies showed that in these four areas, the percentage of those eager to vote were between 87.1% and 92.9%.
"Malays were the most eager to vote while the Indians were the least eager,” said Prof Redzuan.
The main national issues of concern among voters are the increase in prices, the political instability, corruption and bribery.
"For those between 18 and 20 years old, there is another issue which is of concern - reformation and democracy.
"For those between 21 and 40 years old, employment opportunities are of concern,” said Prof Redzuan.
In most places, voters said that the candidate and party are the main weighing factors in their choice of candidates, with the candidate being the primary concern, he added.
The survey also showed that before Parliament dissolution, 31.5% wanted Pakatan Harapan chief and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the tenth prime minister while Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin trail behind at 24.9% and 20.3% as the second and third preferences respectively.
"The survey also showed that 32% of the fence sitters will only make a decision to vote on the polling day itself,” said Prof Redzuan.
