By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM — The vast majority of voters in Pakatan Harapan (Harapan)-led states have expressed satisfaction at the performances of their respective administrations, with Selangor coming out top.
According to a recent survey by think tank Ilham Centre, the country’s most developed state has an approval rating of 82.2 per cent, followed by Penang and Negeri Sembilan, respectively at 81.3 and 75.4 per cent.
In comparison, approval among voters in states under Perikatan Nasional (PN) was quite dismal.
Only 61.5 per cent of voters in Kelantan said they were satisfied by the state administration’s performance, while Kedah and Terengganu recorded a score of 68.9 and 69.2 per cent respectively.
On the same note, most voters in Harapan-held states believe the current administration should be maintained beyond the coming state election — Penang with 78.3 per cent, followed by Selangor (75.7 per cent) and Negeri Sembilan (68.1 per cent).
Kelantan was again placed bottom, with 57 per cent, while Terengganu and Kedah respectively with 61.4 per cent and 66 per cent.
In a statement, Ilham Centre said the result of the survey showed that the Harapan government is well received by the people, thanks to the various policies and initiatives that have been implemented throughout the last term.
Based on the survey, Harapan states also scored much better in almost all other categories.
For instance, 75.7 per cent of respondents felt that the Selangor government cares for its people. Penang and Negeri Sembilan, meanwhile, obtained 78.5 and 69.8 per cent respectively.
The three states also obtained high scores in the aspects of economic planning, clean water supply, waste management, and land administration.
Kelantan, on the other hand, was the worst performing state in all these categories, according to voter’s feedback.
“The issues of clean water supply, solid waste management and others related to the local authorities were the main complaints among the respondents,” Ilham Centre said.
Despite these long standing issues, the research firm said its survey has shown that voters in Kelantan will still continue supporting PAS.
While Terengganu and Kedah fared slightly better, they are still ranked lower than the three Harapan states.
According to Ilham Centre, the overall level of administrative efficiency among Harapan states appears to be supported by the rakyat.
“In PAS-led states, many admit that there are shortcomings in terms of caring for the people’s needs and implementation of developments.
In this regard, he firm said the coming August 12 state elections will be a major test to see if voters will continue to vote along party lines.
The survey was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative methodologies from July 11 to 27, with a five per cent margin of error.
A total of 2,416 respondents from the six states that are holding their elections soon took part in the survey, while a further 102 individuals were involved in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, involving women, youth and local leaders
Respondents were picked via a random stratified sampling, comprising people of all ages, ethnicities, household incomes, education levels, jobs and localities.
