Anwar declining approval rating? It's only natural - Rafizi

PUTRAJAYA – In the eyes of PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli it is natural for a Prime Minister’s (PM) approval rating to slump, especially after six months in office, stressing that the waning of support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not an earth-shattering news.

Rafizi claimed that the findings reported in an opinion poll done Merdeka Centre must be read in the proper context adding that statistical dip of Anwar’s popularity must also be compared with the approval rating decline of previous PMs as well.

“This is not an unfamiliar occurrence.

“We had three PM after Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and the pattern remains consistent. It begins with high support, followed by a sudden dip within the first six months, and a continued decline within the first year.

“So, I do not believe that the Merdeka Centre's findings are earth-shattering for the public,” trivialised – who is also the Economy Minister – at a press conference at PKR Youth and Women wings’ annual congress, here, today.

Published on Wednesday, The Merdeka Centre’s survey on Anwar's approval rating as PM highlighted a ballooning increase in dissatisfaction, doubling from 19 per cent to 43 per cent since Dec 2022 to Oct 2023.

Despite the unfavourale outlook, Rafizi insisted that the Anwar-led Madani Government has always been stable, solid and backed by the public.

“We were concerned about such trends when we were heading into the state elections [on Aug 12], but after a series of policy documents; the momentum has shifted positively.

"The previous momentum suggested that the government was on the verge of falling. Now, it is no longer so, as supporters realise that this government is here to stay for a full five years term" he said.

The government’s challenge for now, claimed Rafizi, was to figure out a way to translate positive economic figures into tangible benefits for the public to experience.

"With the upper hand in economic headline numbers showing improvement, 2024 is expected to be better due to a favourable global economic outlook.

“So, the government needs to have those figures translated to the public,” said Rafizi.