A huge lead, a comfortable win, a changed (not chained) Malaysia

ALERT: JUST GOT AN SMS FROM A JOURNO TO ALERT ME THAT THE SURVEY BELOW IS A FABRICATION. AM ON THE ROAD FROM GELANG PATAH WHERE GHANI AND KIT SIANG ARE STILL NECK TO NECK, WILL AMEND THIS POSTING ASAP IN KL. THANK YOU -- 4.30pm, 4/5/2013

Post script at 2.50 am on Polling Day, 5/5/13: The faked article below notwithstanding, I stand by the comments at the end of it, which reflects my cautious optimism of the outcome of this GE. Those of you still whining about the fact that I posted this faked article, grow up. Who believes in Merdeka Center, in the first place, anyway? Like my always elegant commenter Charles F. Moreira puts it, "Only the results of the 13th GE will really tell which way the vote will go, rather than all these polls and speculation."

Original posting:
My comments after this article ...
 

MALAYSIA Najib's rating up to 73%, leads Anwar by 32% as M’sians top choice for PM By Clara Chooi and Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider 02-May-2013 KUALA LUMPUR, May 02 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s approval rating is now at all time high of 73 per cent, the highest point since last May, fuelled by rising concerns amongst voters over Pakatan’s ability to maintain economic stability as well as serious internal problems over Hudud, a new poll released today showed. GE13 promised to be the most hotly contested General Election in Malaysia. However, a recent poll released today indicates that a win is all but out of reach for Pakatan Rakyat, spelling the end of Anwar Ibrahim’s long and illustrious career as a politician. Local pollster Merdeka Center reported the results in its latest survey conducted between April 30 and May 1, revealing that the Najib (picture) brand notched up significant gains in public perception following several significant events over the course of the 2 week campaign, centering on the Pakatan Hudud fiasco. Of the 1,027 respondents polled, 73 per cent said they were satisfied with the prime minister’s performance, up a significant 12 percentage points from 61 per cent in January 2013. Since hitting a record high last year, Najib’s rating has been on a decline; from 72 per cent in May 2010 to 69 per cent in November 2010, 67 per cent in March 2012, 65 per cent in May 2012, 61 per cent in January 2013. However, this new polls result showing Najib at 73% in April 2013 indicates that the reliance of the BN campaign on Najib’s personal popularity and the massive dissemination of information relating to the achievements of Najib’s administration for the people since 2009 has had a clear effect on voters. When Najib first took over the country’s reins in April 2009, his administration’s rating improved quickly on his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s flailing legacy from a bleak 34 per cent in March 2009, soaring by 31 percentage points to 65 per cent within just three months. According to the pollster’s report released today, Najib’s scored the poorest with the Chinese community, with his rating dipping from an all-time high of 58 per cent in May 2011 to 48 per cent this month. The Indian community grew more confident in the prime minister, climbing by six  points from 69 per cent 75 per cent now. Malay community support marginally increased, from 73 per cent in January 2013 to 75 per cent in today. The survey included respondents aged 21 and above across the peninsula who were elected through random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 per cent were Malays, 32 per cent Chinese and nine per cent Indians.  (right) Ibrahim Suffian, Managing Director of the Merdeka Center. “From the survey, we note that the significantly improved approval rating may be due to the increased concerns over Anwar’s ability to lead the economy and the country as ordinary citizens begin to feel the reality of voting sinking in. Najib scored 63% versus Anwar’s 31% as the voter’s no.1 choice for PM. Besides trust issues, the poll result also suggests some linkage with adverse public perception of how the Pakatan is handling the Hudud matter as well as the lack of clear consensus on their Prime Ministerial candidate,” the research house reported. Politicians from the ruling BN and opposition PR will be fighting tooth and nail to wrest majority control over 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats in the coming polls, which analysts have said will a toss-up between both pacts. Bru's comments: If you listen only to one side, you'd be convinced by now that Pakatan Rakyat will win tomorrow's 13th general elections and Anwar will be PM and Hadi and Kit Siang will be his deputies. But on the ground, you hear different. In 2008, the people revolted against an incompetent government and arrogant leaders; they voted for change. The last five years, however, have taught us that not all changes are for the better. While most Malaysians will admit that Prime Minister Najib Razak has done well and worked very, very hard for the people and nation, the same can't be said for the bulk of his Cabinet and the leaders in the Opposition. Anwar Ibrahim has been a major disappointment most of the times and his deputy PM wannabes Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang have been proving to us one thing - that there is such a thing as an expiry date for politicians no matter how great they once were.  What I hear on the ground and my reliable sources is Najib's BN will win a comfortable win, with more parliamentary seats than in the last general election of 2008, and with at least one State - Kedah - back in its fold. Khalid Ibrahim's Selangor is shaky like hell and there is a possibility it will fall to BN, too. Lim Guan Eng will get a drubbing in Penang but survives and in Kelantan, it will be real close. Sabah, Sarawak and Johor - BN's fixed deposits - remain so.  If Ghani Othman beats Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah, and I am confident he will, we will have a truly changed nation this Monday.