KHAIRY Jamaluddin is the preferred choice among Malays to be opposition leader, according to a recent nationwide poll conducted by an independent research firm.

Given the choice between acting-Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Khairy, 43% of Malay respondents said they preferred Khairy, followed by Zahid (33%), Tengku Razaleigh (20%) and 4% who declined to comment.

All three are running for the position of Umno president in the party polls tomorrow.

The survey was conducted by Oppotus Research Group, which polled 1,035 Malays between June 22 and June 26.

From those polled, 94% said it was important to have a credible and capable opposition while only 6% said it was not important.

The same poll, however, also found that 51% of Malay respondents do not support Umno, versus 44% who did. Another 5% declined to comment.

Almost all respondents, 95% of them, voted in the May 9 polls. Notably, 77% of respondents are urban-based, with the remaining 23% from rural areas.

The survey was undertaken to gauge the public reaction on the recent 14th general election and the Umno election tomorrow.

The margin of error is estimated at 3.10%.

According to the most recent survey by Ilham Centre, Zahid is ahead with 51% of respondents supporting him while Tengku Razaleigh, better known as Ku Li, polled 35%.

In the same survey, 6% supported Khairy while 8% are undecided.

A total of 581 Umno delegates from 101 divisions across Peninsular Malaysia were polled by Ilham.

Khairy has promised to bring more transparency to Umno, saying if he was elected president, he would be more open to criticism.

“In Umno, we have a system that is not open. The grassroots cannot talk to the president. Nobody dares to criticise the president,” the former party youth chief said.

“We regret that. So I want to be a president who can be criticised, not an Umno political god.” – June 29, 2018.