PETALING JAYA: Malaysians want to have a bigger say in the country’s political landscape, but are sceptical about real change and lack political literacy.
This was the findings of a survey conducted by the Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) on 1,000 Malaysians living in the peninsular in November last year.
The survey found that 58% of respondents agreed that local government elections should be reintroduced.
However, 67% of those surveyed believed that bringing back the third vote would lead to more red tape, while 59% felt that it would not help solve the problems.
Cenbet co-president Gan Ping Sieu said this split in opinions could be down to the rakyat being disenchanted by Pakatan Harapan (PH), with voters either showing signs of political fatigue or are getting tired of the unfulfilled promises.
He said while Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin’s pledge to bring back local government elections was commendable, the pace at which the reform is taking place could be faster.
“The government has been there for about two years now, so there’s no reason why the working paper cannot be put in place. It’s not rocket science,” he told a press conference, here, today.
“And if you look at the survey, the people just wants a local government that is responsive and reacts quickly to any problems and issues faced by the rakyat. But they are not feeling that now,” he added.
