CONCERNS over racial issues have risen after the May 9 general election that saw Pakatan Harapan form the government, according to a survey conducted by Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research.

The survey, which was conducted from August 7 to 14, showed that concerns over the preservation of Malay rights and fair treatment for all races jumped from 12% in April to 21% that month.

The survey of 1,160 respondents nationwide noted that issues related to race had traction among Malay voters.

Compared to 62% of non-Malays who felt that the new government was protecting the rights of their race, only 50% of Malays surveyed said the same.

Among East Malaysians, only 45% felt the new government was protecting their rights.

But overall, more than 69% said that they were satisfied with the state of inter-ethnic harmony among the races.

The survey also showed that 82% of Malaysians were satisfied with the election results and PH’s promises to reform the government (72%).

Other issues Malaysians were satisfied with were PH’s efforts to fight corruption (65%), protection of non-Malay rights (62%), and protection of Islam (50%).

“Heading into the future, the PH government will face the challenge of managing tightened public expectations, an opposition that is galvanising race and religious issues, and politics.

“The data also suggest that the new government faces a more cautious Malay electorate compared with their fellow citizens.

“Moving forward, the survey suggests that to win over skeptics, the new government needs to demonstrate and amplify efforts to address cost of living issues and introduce substantive government reforms,” Merdeka Centre said in its summary of the findings.

The survey was released ahead of Pakatan’s 100th-day anniversary in government on Friday. – August 15, 2018.