A political commentator suspects Merdeka Center of tailoring its questionnaires to their own liking
Is Khairy Jamaluddin Merdeka Centers' friend?
COMMENTARY | Are the Merdeka Center Polls Measuring Public Opinion, or Manufacturing It?
When I read that 52% of respondents in a Merdeka Center survey expressed satisfaction with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's performance, my first thought was of a George Carlin quote.
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."
I thought of that, not chiefly because of how Anwar fared in the poll, but because of how Khairy fared.
After Anwar, Khairy recorded the second-highest approval rating among the Malaysian political leaders tested, with a 50% approval rating.
I found Khairy's inclusion to be immensely odd, because he only returned to UMNO a month or two ago. He holds no position whatsoever in either his party or the government. Considering that, it is hard to say on what basis 50% of respondents approved of his performance as a political leader.
I also think the Merdeka Center pollsters must like Khairy a lot, and must not like Hamzah or Tok Mat very much, because this is the second poll in which they have included Khairy while excluding Hamzah and Tok Mat.
In the previous survey they conducted among Malays, Khairy came out on top as the politician Malays approved of the most.
In this one, he came a close second, trailing Anwar by just two percentage points.
Now perhaps there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. But when one politician who currently holds neither government office nor party office repeatedly appears in these surveys, while other major opposition and government leaders are left out, it inevitably raises quite a few interesting questions.
One of the questions it will certainly raise, is whether the Merdeka Center polls are measuring public opinion, or are they manufacturing it?
A poll is supposed to tell us what people think. But when the same personalities repeatedly appear in surveys while other major political figures are left out, you begin to wonder whether the poll is merely reflecting public opinion—or subtly shaping it by signalling who Malaysians should regard as the country's leading political leaders.
Anyway, Anwar is naturally happy with the result.
"Alhamdulillah, but we must always strive to do our best and work harder. We must not become complacent because of praise," he told reporters after Friday prayers at Masjid Jameatus Solehah.
He didn't say anything about the earlier poll, conducted among Malays, that found him trailing both Khairy and Muhyiddin.
I suppose Anwar strongly subscribes to the belief that if you receive something good after receiving something bad from the same source, appreciate the good thing and forget about the bad one. 😆
Personally, I find the results of both these Merdeka Center surveys about as convincing as the Covid vaccines. You can make of it what you wish.
I believe there are two kinds of truth. The first is the truth that stands the test of reality. The second is the truth that your boss wants you to believe.
I have always felt that it is the second kind of truth that is more widely available in our country, and these Merdeka Center results have done nothing to change my opinion.
I feel the only conclusion we can draw from these Merdeka Center results is that someone wants us to believe that Anwar and Khairy are the leaders Malaysia needs.
More than the results at the top, I actually find the results at the bottom far more convincing.
Among both Malays and Malaysians as a whole, UMNO president Zahid Hamidi came in last.
I think that Zahid found his way at the bottom at least speaks well of the survey, because if Zahid came out ahead of even one person, you would know the survey was not worth the paper it was written on.
Anyway, in the latest survey, which polled Malaysians regardless of race, after Anwar and Khairy came Rafizi Ramli with 32%, followed by Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (28%), PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (25%), and finally Zahid with 21%.
I have to say that if you restrict the scope to just these five leaders (I am taking Khairy out because, while Khairy may be Merdeka Center's friend, I still don't think that makes him qualified to be included in this list), I also think Anwar would come out on top.
I don't say that because I think Anwar is the best leader we have.
I say it because, as the saying goes, "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."
Adapted from the commentary by Therealnehruism via Facebook posting yesterday, Friday 26 June 2026.
| By Fauzi Kadir Chief Editor
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