Support for Malaysia PM drops: opinion poll

Fewer than half of Malaysians approve of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an opinion poll showed yesterday, as concerns over rising costs and racial matters plague his administration nearly a year after taking office. The survey, conducted in March by independent pollster Merdeka Center, showed that only 46 percent of voters surveyed were satisfied with Mahathir, a sharp drop from the 71 percent approval rating he received in August 2018. Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won a stunning election victory in May 2018, ending the previous government’s more than 60-year rule. But his administration has since been criticised for failing to deliver on promised reforms and protecting the rights of majority ethnic Malay Muslims.