Majority of Malays think Umno should stick with PN, new survey shows

The majority of Malays believe Umno should not withdraw from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, a new survey has shown ahead of a meeting by the party’s Supreme Council tonight to discuss calls by leaders aligned with former president Najib Razak to quit the ruling bloc.

The survey, carried out by independent pollster Merdeka Center from Dec 23 to 31, found that 62% of Malay respondents disagreed with a withdrawal by Umno from PN while only 21% agreed.

Results on whether Umno should go it alone in the next general election were mixed, with 51% of Malays agreeing and 36% disagreeing.

In general, 31% of respondents agreed that Umno should leave PN while 44% disagreed.

On whether Umno should go it alone, 39% agreed while 41% disagreed.

The survey involved 1,202 respondents aged 21 and above from across Malaysia, with an equal number of male and female participants, comprising ethnic groups reflecting the national profile.

Several leaders aligned with Najib have been urging Umno MPs to revoke their support for the administration in an attempt to force snap polls as soon as possible.

Yesterday, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged MPs to quit the bloc before February.

Supreme Council member Tajuddin Abdul Rahman earlier claimed that that two-thirds of the party’s division leaders nationwide preferred that it contest the next polls on its own, although he furnished no details of such a survey.