PETALING JAYA: Chinese sentiment towards the unity government has marginally improved as it completes the second year of administration, according to an annual survey by Merdeka Center.
The survey has also found that the negative sentiment of Indian respondents towards the administration has dropped even lower last year compared to 2023.
It can be seen in how the respondents answered the question – Is the country moving in the right or wrong direction?
How they felt about “the direction of country” mirrored their feelings towards the current government, said Merdeka Center executive director Ibrahim Suffian.
About 47% of Chinese respondents in the 2024 survey said the country was moving in the right direction, compared to 45% who said it did not. In 2023, 42% said Malaysia was going in the right direction while 54% said it did not.
When it came to Indian respondents, 18% said the nation was moving in the right direction, a drop from 34% who said the same in 2023.
The number of Indian respondents who felt the country was moving in the wrong direction last year increased to 68%, from 61% in 2023, after the first anniversary of the unity government.
“Positive sentiments from Chinese respondents have tended to be the highest as they give the government points for working hard to bring in investments.
“But they are also worried that the government is shelving its reforms and the spectre of identity politics still looms large,” Ibrahim said when contacted.
The high rate of dissatisfaction among Indian respondents could be due to how they feel that they have not been adequately represented when the unity government was formed in December 2022, he said.
“Every community wants to see their own champions in the government despite the fact that programmes and initiatives for them are no different than from other communities,” he said.
Ibrahim said the feeling of being left out worsened during the state elections in 2023 when several well-known Indian leaders were dropped as candidates.
“The sentiment has carried through to 2024, which is why we saw how Indian voter turnout was lower than anticipated in several by-elections,” he added.
