Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar faces a significant challenge in leading the coalition to victory in the next general election, according to former Muhyiddin Yassin aide Marzuki Mohamad.
In a Facebook post, Marzuki referred to the latest Merdeka Center survey, noting that after four months as PN chairman, Samsuri recorded an approval rating of 48% among Malay respondents and 28% overall.
Support among Malays remains key
Marzuki said PN would require at least 70% support from Malay voters to secure victory in the 16th General Election.
He argued that a political leader’s popularity generally influences public support for the party, adding that Samsuri would need to surpass the 70% mark among Malay voters.
Marzuki also compared Samsuri’s standing with Muhyiddin’s, saying the former PN chairman had previously enjoyed support exceeding 70% among Malays and remained more popular than Samsuri among both Malay respondents and the overall electorate.
Survey rankings
Marzuki pointed out that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ranked fourth among Malay respondents but remained the most popular political leader overall. He was followed by former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Muhyiddin.
Describing the findings as a major challenge for PN, Marzuki said Samsuri had yet to demonstrate a ‘wow factor’.
According to the Merdeka Center national public opinion survey, conducted between March 12 and April 9 involving 1,209 selected respondents, Anwar recorded the highest overall approval rating at 52%.
Khairy ranked second with 50%, followed by Muhyiddin at 36%, former economy minister Rafizi Ramli at 32%, Samsuri at 28% and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang at 25%.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recorded the lowest approval rating at 24%, while 61% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with his performance.
Malay respondents’ ratings
Among Malay respondents, Khairy topped the list with a 62% approval rating, followed by Muhyiddin at 49%, Samsuri at 48%, Anwar at 45%, Hadi at 41%, Rafizi at 36% and Zahid at 31%.
