When asked who would make the better prime minister, 40 per cent said Anwar.
AgenciesPublished: September 30, 2008, 01:18
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ebrahim scored better than the government's pick to become the next prime minister in an opinion poll which showed that worries over the economy dominated voter concerns.
Anwar is threatening to unseat the government that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years and the rise of the opposition since their success in elections in March has paralysed policy-making as top politicians from the government jostle for power.
The poll by the Merdeka Centre published yesterday showed that for half of people questioned, the main concern in this country of 27 million people was the economy at a time when fuel prices have risen and inflation has surged to 27-year highs.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has offered to quit early to avoid a leadership challenge topped the poll, although his approval ratings continue to fall.
Asked who would make the better prime minister, 40 per cent said Anwar and 34 per cent said Najeeb Razak. Najeeb has been named as successor to Badawi who scored 43 per cent.
Trumped-up charges
Anwar, a former deputy prime minister who was imprisoned on what he says were trumped-up sodomy and corruption charges in the late 1990s, was characterised as "a strong and visionary leader" and "a competent manager of the economy" by 51 per cent of respondents in the poll of 1,003 voters.
He is facing new charges of sodomy which he denies. Anwar has said that he has won over enough government MPs to oust Badawi in a confidence vote in parliament and the prime minister on Friday said he would hand power to Najeeb, most likely in March.
Badawi had earlier planned to hand over power in 2010.
Since becoming prime minister in 2004, Badawi has failed to implement key pledges such as ending corruption and boosting the independence of the judiciary. The policy drift, along with rising racial tensions, has unsettled both party activists and investors.
A year ago just 25 per cent of those questioned in a similar poll by Merdeka were worried about the economy in the poll a year ago compared with 50 per cent now.