Do Malaysians really hate Najib? Study says 'Yes'


Zulkifli Sulong

The Chinese community's hatred for Najib Razak hurt Barisan Nasional component parties MCA and Gerakan badly. – EPA pic, June 23, 2018.

JUST before 11pm on May 9, when it was crystal clear that Barisan Nasional had lost badly, Najib Razak wondered aloud if Malaysians really disliked him that much.

The answer to that question is a resounding “yes”.

A post-election study conducted by Selangor think-tank Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) showed that Pakatan Harapan did not win the 14th general election because of its strengths, or the charisma of its leaders. It won because of the overwhelming hatred of Malaysian voters towards Najib Razak.

The study also found that the “total support” of non-Malays for PH was also what led the coalition to Putrajaya, while a majority of Malay voters cast their vote for Umno.

“It was not a total support from the people. PH won because the people rejected Najib,” IDE deputy chairman Professor Redzuan Othman told The Malaysian Insight.

He will release detailed findings of the study and it methodology in a few weeks. 

Hatred towards Najib by the Chinese community hurt Barisan Nasional component parties MCA and Gerakan badly.

“Take the Temerloh parliamentary seat in Pahang. PH’s candidate Anuar Tahir won big because there is a large Chinese community in the state seat Mentakab,” said Redzuan.

“Chinese voters make up 44% in Mentakab. The other two state seats in Temerloh – Lancang and Kuala Semantan – were won by BN.

“It means it was Chinese support that gave PH victory in Temerloh. Umno still enjoyed support from the Malay community,” Redzuan said.

Anuar took Temerloh, which was last won by BN in the 2008 polls and PAS in 2013, with a majority of 1,904 votes.

In Mentakab, PH’s Woo Chen Wan won with a comfortable majority of 5,829 votes. The BN candidates in Lancang and Kuala Semantan won with smaller majorities of 3,725 votes and 474 votes respectively.

Redzuan said PH’s victory in Perak was also driven by strong support for the predominantly Chinese DAP.

He said the study indicates that for PH to safely retain its place in the federal government in the next polls, the coalition must do more to boost its Malay support.

“They cannot just rely on Chinese votes,” Redzuan said.

The study’s results are in line with post-election analysis which have shown that while the Chinese had voted overwhelmingly for PH, the Malay vote was split between PH, BN and the Islamic party PAS.

PH won 121 parliamentary seats over BN’s 79 in the 14th general election on May 9, ending 61 years of rule by the Umno-led coalition. 

BN’s share of seats in Parliament was futher decimated when Sarawak-based parties announced their departure from BN, taking with them 19 seats. – June 23, 2018.


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Comments


  • NO ONE IS GOING TO POINT OUT NAJIB AND CHUA SOI LEK IS WRONG? CHINESE CAN CHANGE THE GOVT?? THERE IS A LESSON HERE TO POLICITIAN - DO NOT BE AN ASSHOLE..

    Posted 5 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • On a related point, it must not ever (for now only) be forgotten that Tun Dr. Mahathir also famously opined that many Malaysians are "uneducated", or "kurang ajar", meaning that we too have to pull up our socks and correct our behaviour & other shortcomings. This will take some time, and will be greatly helped by the "feel good" feeling of euphoria that permeated the air after Pakatan's victory in GE14, giving hope to many people. Like OBESITY it will take time to get rid of this un-Malaysian-like situation which Malaysia did not have in days gone by. HIDUP MALAYSIA!..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • (From the text above) Pakatan won the election becos' TDMahathir entered the fray to give his name, history & effectively marshal the "disparate"(?) opposition like Anwar began doing pre-2008 to 1st give them Selangor and Penang, etc. Books will be written on this epoch-making scenario, and beyond..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • I would suggest that the incoming EC Chief look into a delineation exercise as there had been gerrymandering by the previous administration, at the same time ensure that such racial statistics are absent, constituency and electorate based on number of Malaysian voters??

    Posted 5 years ago by Quek Jui Leng · Reply

  • Does Malay vote really reflect the values of the Party voted for ,regardless of corruption and excesses that was crippling the Nation? Or is the analysis
    of voting supercial and does not
    address the real support after
    normalizing for peer pressure arising from being Government and Government linked Corporation
    employees ? Tun M factor was the absolute tipping point for the change of Government without any doubt, in the minds of all races. What is being revealed about the extent of damage to the economy is now awakening all thinking persons regardless of race to choose integrity of Governance as the number one priority for Malaysians .

    Posted 5 years ago by Kukananthan Gnanamoorthy · Reply

  • Does Malay vote really reflect the values of the Party voted for ,regardless of corruption and excesses that was crippling the Nation? Or is the analysis
    of voting supercial and does not
    address the real support after
    normalizing for peer pressure arising from being Government and Government linked Corporation
    employees ? Tun M factor was the absolute tipping point for the change of Government without any doubt, in the minds of all races. What is being revealed about the extent of damage to the economy is now awakening all thinking persons regardless of race to choose integrity of Governance as the number one priority for Malaysians .

    Posted 5 years ago by Kukananthan Gnanamoorthy · Reply

  • Does Malay vote really reflect the values of the Party voted for ,regardless of corruption and excesses that was crippling the Nation? Or is the analysis
    of voting supercial and does not
    address the real support after
    normalizing for peer pressure arising from being Government and Government linked Corporation
    employees ? Tun M factor was the absolute tipping point for the change of Government without any doubt, in the minds of all races. What is being revealed about the extent of damage to the economy is now awakening all thinking persons regardless of race to choose integrity of Governance as the number one priority for Malaysians .

    Posted 5 years ago by Kukananthan Gnanamoorthy · Reply

  • Yes. that's one clown that i hate.

    Posted 5 years ago by Will Be Humble · Reply