More support from Malays, rural poor for govt’s pandemic measures

The Malays and Bumiputeras are more in agreement with government initiatives to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic than the Chinese and Indian communities, a poll by think tank Emir Research has shown.

The Emir Research Quarterly Poll for the fourth quarter of 2020, which involved 1,976 respondents from every state, was to assess the perceived direction of the country and the people’s living condition.

It said Malay and Bumiputera respondents were “significantly more” in favour of lump sum or periodic withdrawals from the EPF Account 1, out of 52% who agreed with the green light for lump-sum withdrawals and 48% who agreed to withdrawals on a monthly basis.

The move was opposed in general by 14% and 19% of respondents respectively with 34% and 33% saying they were unsure.

The poll also showed that the Malays and Bumiputeras are more in agreement with the governance of the Covid-19 crisis than the Indians and Chinese, out of some 62% overall who agreed – a significantly lower figure than the 72% who responded positively in the poll in the third quarter of 2020.

About 25% said they were unsure of this while 12% disagreed.

Regarding governance of the Covid-19 crisis after the Sabah state election last year which saw a surge in daily case numbers, 30% of Chinese respondents and 38% of Indian respondents agreed with it in comparison to 52% of Malays and Bumiputeras.

This was from a total of 45% who said they agreed with the post-election governance of Covid-19. About 32% said they were undecided while 23% disagreed.

According to the survey, the negative impact of Covid-19 on the economy and national security appears to be felt more by urban respondents and those with higher qualifications.

The higher educated sample was also more in agreement with government initiatives to tackle the pandemic and its governance of the Covid-19 crisis.

The poll also showed that the negative impact of Covid-19 on the economy, job sector and national security was acknowledged more by respondents who earned RM3,001 and above than those who earned RM1,500 and below.

Respondents who earned RM3,001 to RM5,000 registered “significantly higher” agreement than those in other income groups to the governance of the Covid-19 crisis, governance of the crisis after the Sabah election, and lump sum withdrawals from EPF Account 1.