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Illegal immigrants issue tops voters' concern in Sabah
03-Oct-2012, Borneo Post Online

KOTA KINABALU: Illegal immigrants or PATI (pendatang asing tanpa izin issues were found to be the most important issue in Sabah that needed immediate attention from the government.

This was mentioned by 53% of respondents of a recently concluded survey of Sabah voters. This expectation was followed by concerns over cost of living (38%), corruption (21%), jobs (13%) and welfare/poverty alleviation (10%).

In the same survey, 54% of the respondents felt that that Sabah state was headed in the right direction, representing a marked 12% decline from an earlier Merdeka Center survey conducted in November 2009 which recorded 66% of respondents saying the state was in the right direction.

The decline in the perception that the state was moving in the right direction could be charted across all major ethnic groups as well as the urban rural divide as follows:

Segment November 2009 September 2012 Variance

 Sabah voters overall 66% 54% -12%

Muslim Bumiputera 79% 62% -17%

Non-Muslim Bumiputera 69% 58% -11%

Chinese 35% 29% -6%

Urban 63% 47% -16%

Rural 69% 61% -8%

Among the top five reasons for the decline appears to be the perception that the state remains lagging in terms of economic development and infrastructure, particularly in rural areas as well as cost of living pressures.

The survey also found that a number of respondents cited dissatisfaction with the political leadership as well as the illegal immigration problem.

Those who felt the state was headed in the right direction expressed continued satisfaction at the pace of economic development and the continuing peaceful conditions in the state.

Following on from the PATI issue, the survey found that an overwhelming 87% agreed with the establishment of the royal commission of inquiry into the matter. However confidence in the effectiveness of the commission was more circumspect – with only 54% expressing confidence that the commission will be able to address the problem.

The survey also found that Sabah voters had mixed views as to the motivation behind the establishment of the commission, with 46% expressing that it is “a genuine attempt to address the illegal immigrant problem” while 36% agreeing that it was a “political move to reduce the anger of Sabahans before the election”.

The survey was carried out by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research between the 6th and 17th of September 2012 to gauge voters’ perceptions of current developments in the Sabah.

A total of 829 registered voters comprising 51% Muslim Bumiputra, 29% non-Muslim Bumiputra and 20% Chinese respondents which was reflective of electoral profile of Sabah were interviewed via fixed line and mobile telephones.

The respondents were selected on the basis of random stratified sampling along age group, ethnicity, gender and state constituency. The poll was jointly funded by Merdeka Center and a regional consultancy firm.