'Mukhriz for MB' should BN win back Kedah
BN’s Jerlun MP Mukhriz Mahathir would be the people’s choice for Kedah menteri besar, should the coalition win back the state in the next general election.
BN’s Jerlun parliamentarian Mukhriz Mahathir would be the people’s choice for Kedah menteri besar, should the coalition win back the state in the next general election.
A recent survey by Universiti Utara Malaysia across the 36 state seats has established that there is overwhelming support for Mukhriz
(right)
, the son of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The poll saw 67 percent of Malays, 78 percent of Chinese and 71 percent of Indians backing Mukhriz.
The deputy international trade and industry minister emerged ahead of senior Kedah leaders including federal minister Mohd Jamil Khir Baharom, state Umno liaison chief Ahmad Bashah and state opposition leader Mahdzir Khalid.
A total of 300 respondents were picked at random from each polling district for the survey.
Of the 10,800 respondents, 76 percent are Malays, 16 percent are Chinese, 7 percent are Indians and one percent of Thai origin.
The majority, or 47 percent, live in villages. Another 32 percent live in urban settlements, 20 percent in cities and one percent in estates.
Better chance seen for BN
It was found that BN, in particular Umno, stands a better chance of winning the election now.
This is because 52 percent of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the state government’s performance, while 59 percent said many of its election promises remained unfulfilled.
While 54 percent do not want to see the PAS-led government re-elected, 47 percent indicated their belief that Malays had fared better under BN rule.
Kedah, once an Umno stronghold, fell to Pakatan in the ‘political tsunami’ of 2008.
However, issues have arisen under the leadership of Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak (left) , who has been at odds with the Pakatan and PAS central leaderships.
The poll saw the Kedah people rejecting Kedah PAS and this could be interpreted as the Islamist party’s failure to fulfill the promises made to the people in the last general election.
Despite many issues facing Azizan, the poll showed that should PAS retain control of Kedah, Azizan would likely be retained as MB.
Azizan is polled at 40 percent of the respondents, while present exco member Phahrolrazi Zawawi is second at 12 percent, Amiruddin Hamzah third at seven percent and Mohamed Taulan Mohd Rasul is fourth with three percent.
What they want in an MB
The poll showed Kedahans favoured an MB who would be able to resolve the problems faced by them and was willing to meet the people.
“This feeling indirectly gives the impression of the incapability of the present MB and the PAS government to fulfill its obligations as hoped for by the electorate,” the poll commented.
“They felt the need of a dynamic leadership who is also innovative in handling economic issues which are critical to the Chinese community.”
The poll also showed that 66 percent of the respondents complained that rising prices was the main problem in Kedah.
Others included road maintenance (58 percent), garbage collection (37 percent), rising crime rate (31 percent), job opportunities (30 percent), water supply (28 percent) and opportunities to open business (27 percent).
Nationally, the Kedah people polled in the survey showed they accepted Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s leadership as it had brought stability in the country.
“Economically, they are satisfied with Malaysia’s performance rather than the state’s performance. Politically, the people of Kedah are satisfied with the Malaysian political scene rather than the present Kedah scene,” the study showed.
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