KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — Eighty-two per cent of respondents in the ‘MADANI Economy Initiatives: Public Acceptance’ survey, expressed support and favourable acceptance of the 30 initiatives announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who assumed office on Nov 24, 2022.
The survey, conducted by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), in collaboration with two non-governmental organisations from Nov 1 to Dec 4, involved 4,606 respondents, comprising various races, genders, and age groups, who were randomly selected from the 21,473,409 registered voters across all parliamentary constituencies in the country.
UUM, in a statement today, said the survey showed that the Unity Government’s efforts to help the needy, especially the poor, garnered the most support.
“It includes the initiative to encourage Padiberas Nasional Bhd (BERNAS) to contribute RM60 million to poor padi farmers which received 96 per cent support and two per cent objections, while the initiative to eliminate hardcore poverty garnered 93 per cent support and three per cent objections.
“The initiative to provide an additional contribution of RM600 to hardcore poor households receiving the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) was also highly accepted, with 93 per cent support and only four per cent of respondents objecting to it,” according to the survey.
Another MADANI Economy initiative that gained substantial support was the Unity Government’s efforts to combat corruption, with the government’s decision to introduce the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Bill receiving the highest acceptance rate.
The initiative, which garnered 94 per cent support and two per cent objections was seen as able to ensure a more transparent and responsible economic policy.
“In addition, 94 per cent of respondents supported and only two per cent objected to the government’s move to introduce the Government Procurement Bill, which aimed at preventing the waste of public funds.
“As for the initiative to implement institutional reform and good governance to eradicate corrupt practices, there was 93 per cent support and four per cent of respondents opposed it,” read the statement.
Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that 83 per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction with the clarity of the economic policies’ direction under the Malaysia MADANI concept, while only seven per cent voiced discontent.
“A total of 78 per cent of respondents also expressed confidence that the MADANI Economy Initiative is capable of making Malaysia’s economy stronger and 66 per cent of them were satisfied with the Prime Minister’s performance in managing the Malaysian economy,” said the survey.
According to the statement, the findings refute certain quarters’ claims that the economic policy under the Malaysia MADANI concept does not have a clear direction.
At the same time, the findings debunk the claim that many people are not satisfied with the Unity Government’s efforts to help the needy, fight corruption, and generate economic growth.
