Welcome to Merdeka Center

Many ignorant of independent media concept
04-Sept-2008, Malaysiakini
News consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the media owners' influence on news dissemination and hindrance to press freedom, an independent survey revealed today. The survey, carried out by media watchdog Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) with opinion pollster Merdeka Centre, showed that 78 percent of those surveyed thought the rile of media owners affected media credibility. More...

Press freedom? What’s that?
04-Sept-2008, The Malaysian Insider
PETALING JAYA, Sept 4 — A survey found that while 87 per cent of Malaysians want greater media independence, the public is unclear on what it actually means. Commissioned by the Centre for Independent Journalism and conducted by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, it found that a majority of respondents polled did not understand the concept of "media independence". More...

Malaysians Think Anwar is Innocent
30-Aug-2008, Angus Reid Global Monitor
Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in Malaysia think allegations of sexual misconduct against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim are false, according to a poll by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research. More...

Sodomy and the backlash
28-Aug-2008, The Economist print edition
A sweeping by-election victory takes Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, a step closer to power. The government seems blind to the danger signals. More...

Fence-sitters hard to read
25-Aug-2008, thestar online
The silence on the ground among the Malay fence-sitters in the Permatang Pauh by-election has both sides worried about which way the swing votes will go. DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim is once again looking like the average Penang Malay bloke. More...

Sodomy saga grabs headlines in Malaysia election
17-Aug-2008, PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) - Wien,Austria
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Sodomy. It's not a word that pops up in everyday conversation in any society. But in Malaysia, where sodomy is a crime, it has become part of the political vocabulary, used with unabashed ease in newspaper headlines, on prime time television news and in dinner chats and smutty jokes on the Internet. More...

Malaysia wearily faces another lurid sodomy trial
10-Aug-2008, Agence France-Presse
KUALA LUMPUR--Exactly a decade ago, Malaysia was in the economic doldrums, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim faced sodomy charges, and disbelieving citizens suspected a government conspiracy. Fast forward to 2008 -- Anwar has reinvented himself as the figurehead of a thriving opposition, and the country has a serious case of deja vu. More...

We Do Not Trust In Each Other?
07-Aug-2008, Sin Chew Jit Poh - Malaysia
During the second Malaysian Student Leaders Summit, the Merdeka Centre released a poll report, revealing that the three major races in Malaysia – Chinese, Malays and Indians did not trust in each other. More...

Malaysia: Drop Political Charges Against Opposition Leader
07-Aug-2008, Human Rights Watch (press release) - USA
(New York, August 7, 2008) – The Malaysian government should immediately withdraw politically motivated charges against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Human Rights Watch said today. Police served Anwar, who is running for office, with an order to appear in Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on August 7, 2008, under a colonial-era law that criminalizes homosexual conduct. More...

Anwar to appear in court as fight escalates
07-Aug-2008, Asian Wall Street Journal
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — A confrontation that could decide Malaysia's political future escalated, as police ordered charismatic opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to appear in court today, where his lawyers said they expect him to be charged with sodomising a former aide. More...

Abdullah faces uphill task to win back early popularity
06-Aug-2008, Singapore Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — By declaring his intention to hand over power in mid-2010, beleaguered Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must now grapple with the question of how history will judge him. A cursory assessment of his successes and failures since coming into office in November 2003 is not a pretty picture. More...

Political Sex Scandals Rock Modest Malaysia
04-Aug-2008, New York Times - United States
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Government censors in this majority Muslim nation have upheld an ethos of modesty by snipping sex scenes from films and banning entertainers from wearing outfits that reveal too much on Malaysian stages; bare belly buttons and figure-hugging outfits are off limits. More...

Sex and politics in Malaysia
04-Aug-2008, Asia Times Online, Hong Kong
PENANG - Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim upped the ante of his campaign to topple the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led government through plans to run in a by-election expected to be held later this month and formally re-enter politics. But with new criminal sodomy charges hanging over his head, it is unclear that Anwar, previously jailed on similar charges, will remain a free man long enough to contest in person the bellwether poll. More...

BN's Crisis
04-Aug-2008, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Malaysia
Isn't the situation favourable to BN? How could it be a crisis?Perhaps, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be charged, convicted and imprisoned. All the problems will be resolved and the situation will be stabilised, bringing BN a peaceful regime. More...

Malaysia Anwar fears govt plan to sabotage election
03- Aug-2008, Reuters India, India
KLANG, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Sunday that he feared the government may resort to "massive funding and bribery" to sabotage his chances of winning a parliamentary election. More...

Poll: Najib won't be good as PM
01-Aug-2008, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 – With confidence in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a new low, how do Malaysians feel about Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister? A survey conducted by independent research firm Merdeka Center in the first half of July showed that there is definitely some negative rub-off from the Barisan Nasional and some of the unpopular moves by the government e.g. the recent fuel price hike, as only 34 per cent of those polled thought Najib would make a good prime minister. More...

Survey: Only 11% believe in sodomy claims
01-Aug-2008, Malaysiakini.com
Fifty-five percent of 1,030 Malaysians interviewed in Peninsular Malaysia early this month do not believe the sodomy allegations leveled against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim. Only 11 percent believed in the allegations, while 26 percent said they did not know if the claims were true. Eight percent gave no response. More...

Pak Lah's popularity hits new low
01-Aug-2008, Malaysiakini.com
More than half of the 1,030 Malaysians throughout Peninsular Malaysia surveyed in a poll said they were unhappy with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's performance.
More...

Poll: Malaysia PM's popularity falls to new low
01-Aug-2008, International Herald Tribune
More than half of the 1,030 Malaysians throughout Peninsular Malaysia surveyed in a poll said they were unhappy with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's performance.
More...

UPDATE 1-Malaysia links petrol prices to market, with subsidy
01-Aug-2008, Reuters UK
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Malaysia will implement a new petrol price formula from Sept. 1 that links retail prices to market levels, although it will maintain the current level of subsidies, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Friday. More...

2 notorious cases challenge Malaysia's modesty
01-Aug-2008, International Herald Tribune
KUALA LUMPUR: Government censors in this majority Muslim nation uphold an ethos of modesty by snipping sex scenes from films and ordering entertainers to avoid outfits that reveal too much on Malaysian stages - bare belly buttons and figure-hugging outfits are off limits. More...

MEDIA RELEASE 31-July-2008: State Of The Economy And Political Developments Are Main Voters’ Concerns. More..

Malaysia opposition says aiming to seize power
02-Jul-2008, Reuters Canada
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition is maintaining its target of toppling the government by mid-September, despite the sodomy allegation against leader Anwar Ibrahim, his wife said on Wednesday. The opposition, spearheaded by Anwar's People's Justice party, has been wooing defectors from the ruling National Front coalition in its bid to seize power for the first time in Malaysian history. More...

Sex scandal could galvanise support for Malaysia's Anwar: analysts
01-Jul-2008, AFP
KUALA LUMPUR, July 1, 2008 (AFP) - Sodomy claims against Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim could actually galvanise support for the charismatic opposition leader, analysts say, due to the widespread belief they are politically motivated. The allegations, which Anwar says are a plot to prevent him from seizing power, are a re-run of events of 1998 when he was sacked as deputy prime minister and jailed for six years on sodomy and corruption counts. More...

Umno needs to reinvent
01-Jun-2008, Malaysia Star
DATUK Shahrir Samad has always been known as a politician who speaks his mind, and who has been punished for doing so. I can’t agree with him more when he said on Monday that Umno members are no longer interested “in championing the cause of the party and country, but their own interest.” More...

No stomach for rising cost of living
30-Mar-2008, New Straits Times
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and when his tummy starts growling, his discontent knows no bounds. P. SELVARANI, SONIA RAMACHANDRAN and AUDREY VIJAINDREN discover that this is one of the fundamental reasons why so many votes swung in favour of the opposition during the general election. IN the end, it all came down to taking care of the public's stomach, holding down the cost of living. More...

Malaysian Front regrouping after shock poll setback
10-Mar-2008, swissinfo.ch
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's ruling coalition tried to regroup on Monday after a shocking electoral setback that decimated its ranks and sent markets swooning over the political uncertainties ahead. More...

Observers note swing against BN in Malaysia
09-Mar-2008, AFP
TIME TO DECIDE: Police in Terengganu state fired tear gas and water cannons at opposition supporters as Malaysians voted in a general election yesterday Malaysia's ruling coalition has suffered a major swing against it in general elections that may substantially decrease its majority in parliament, political observers said yesterday.
More...

Abdullah at Risk as Malaysian Coalition Loses Ground
09-Mar-2008, Bloomberg.com
March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's hold on power in Malaysia is in doubt after his ruling coalition lost ground to an opposition that wants to scrap legalized preferences for ethnic Malays, help the poor and battle corruption. More...

ELECTION 2008: Economy top most concern of voters, says survey
03-Mar-2008, New Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR: Rising prices and economic issues top most voters' concerns since election campaigns began, according to a Merdeka Center survey. More than anything else currently, economic issues -- from inflation to job opportunities -- occupy almost two in five minds of voters in Peninsular Malaysia. More...

Opinion/Election 2008: When it pays to know electorate's thinking
01-Mar-2008, New Straits Times
Public opinion surveys have shaped party campaigns for the March 8 general election, right down to the choice of candidates. Politicians tell SANTHA OORJITHAM why they are depending on pollsters more than ever before. More...

Abdullah's Power in Malaysia May Be Reduced by Anti-Bias Votes
29-Feb-2008, Bloomberg.com
Feb. 29 (Bloomberg) -- After Vella Murugan's third application for a government-subsidized mortgage was turned down in September, he decided he would back the opposition in Malaysia's March 8 election. More...

Ethnic Indian party bids to shore up credibility
27-Feb-2008, The Hindu.com
KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia's key ethnic Indian party took out advertisements in major newspapers Wednesday in a bid to shore up its credibility ahead of upcoming general elections. More...

ELECTION 2008/Opinion: Fence-sitters may decide in close vote
21-Feb-2008, News Straits Times
A Merdeka Center survey shows split voting is likely to happen again in Kelantan on March 8. Politicians on both sides tell SANTHA OORJITHAM how they plan to woo the fence-sitters. A THIRD of Kelantanese are for the Barisan Nasional (BN), another third for Pas and the rest are sitting on the fence. More...

ELECTION 2008: Outstation voters may swing the vote
21-Feb-2008, News Straits Times
A split down the middle among Kelantan voters may make out-of-state voters the tie-breakers in the general election, write LEE SIEW LIAN and MAZLINDA MAHMOOD. THIS is Farrah Khairul Azhar’s first general election and she has not made up her mind on who will get her vote. More...

ELECTION 2008: Are Penang folk looking for new direction?
20-Feb-2008, News Straits Times
Penang has become a hot spot, with the opposition hoping to exploit what they see as growing discontent, especially in Chinese-majority areas. But will this dissatisfaction translate into votes? LEE SIEW LIAN and MELISSA DARLYNE CHOW write. REVEREND Koe Choon Huan is happy with the performance of his member of parliament and state assemblyman. But, when he casts his vote in March, he will consider more than just how they have taken care of their constituencies. More...

Malaysia PM Calls Elections
14-Feb-2008, Arab News - AFP
KUALA LUMPUR, 14 February 2008 — Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi dissolved Parliament yesterday to pave the way for snap polls. Announcing that the king had consented to dissolve Parliament, the premier indicated he did not expect a repeat of the 2004 landslide when the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition seized 90 percent of parliamentary seats. More...

Hail, hail to Malaysia's Pak Lah
14-Feb-2008, Asia Times Online
KUALA LUMPUR - He gazes down from highway overpasses, building facades, light posts and banners stretched between trees - neck erect, chin dipped a trifle, a glint of humble warmth in his resolute gaze. More...

Malaysian polls: anything possible, except new govt
14-Feb-2006, Eleconomista.es
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's March 8 election is likely to shape the course of economic and social policy over the next five years, even if it doesn't deliver a new government. The ruling coalition has governed in various forms since independence in 1957, telling voters it is the only group that represents all major races and can keep the peace between them. More...

NewsFocus: Inflation, crime top issues for voters
14-Feb-08, The New Straits Times
INFLATION, crime and the influx of illegal immigrants are the top issues for Selangor voters ahead of the coming general election, an NST survey has found.
The survey, conducted by the Merdeka Center, polled 798 respondents in the state between Nov 18 and 24. It was one in a series of polls commissioned by the New Straits Times Press Berhad to track voter sentiments. More...

Asian food crisis has political and civil implications
14-Feb-2008, International Herald Tribune
BANGKOK: Asia's food crisis is spreading beyond the specter of empty stomachs. Politicians are facing the wrath of angry voters, government budgets are being stretched to pay for increased food subsidies and the potential for civil unrest looms, especially if the cost of essential items like cooking oil and rice continues to climb. More...

Malaysia to go to the polls on March 8
13-Feb-2008, AFP
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysians will vote in general elections on March 8, authorities said Thursday as the nation braced for a campaign dominated by ethnic tensions and anger over rising prices. "The EC has fixed the nomination date for February 24 and polling will be on March 8," Election Commission chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said, a day after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolved parliament. More...

Malaysian PM calls early elections
13-Feb-2008, Al-Jazeera.net
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, has announced the dissolution of the national parliament, signalling early polls amid complaints over inflation, crime and ethnic tensions. Abdullah, who won an overwhelming majority in parliamentary in the 2004 general election, said he hoped that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition would be able to retain majority support. More...

Prime minister of Malaysia dissolves Parliament
13-Feb-2008, International Herald Tribute
BANGKOK: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia dissolved Parliament on Wednesday, paving the way for what is likely to be a rancorous election campaign amid ethnic tensions, scandals in the country's judiciary and concerns over corruption and rising food prices. The election commission is due to announce later this week the date for elections, which must be held within 60 days. More...

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