A survey by any polling firm on Pakatan Harapan's administration is most welcome to give the people an idea on the government’s performance, said Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah.

Amiruddin, who is also Kubang Pasu MP, said the outcome of the survey was also to remind the government to always strive for the best and could be the basis for drawing up plans and actions for the welfare and satisfaction of the people.

“Such studies can give an overview of the current government’s administration pattern and the level of performance given to the people after taking over from Barisan Nasional.

“We can get accurate feedback on the strength and weaknesses of the ruling government and from this feedback we could plan so that we became the government that the people wanted,” he told reporters at the Internal Revenue Board’s (IRB) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in Jitra, Kedah, today.

He was asked to comment on the recent poll by the independent survey company Merdeka Center released yesterday which found the Harapan government's approval rating had declined from 79 percent on May 31 last year to 39 percent on March 11, 2019.

A survey involving 1,204 voters conducted throughout Malaysia between March 5 and 11 showed that only 34 percent of respondents believed the country was heading in the right direction compared to 55 percent in August 2018.

Besides, the same study found that only 46 per cent of the people were satisfied with Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s leadership as prime minister.

Amiruddin said the government did not prevent any party from conducting such surveys, but he was concerned the findings could sometimes invite incorrect perceptions.

Earlier in the CSR programme, 30 families in Kampung Tradisi Lembah Keriang, near Changlun received contributions from IRB in the form of food and basic necessities to ease their burden and to prepare for Ramadan.

- Bernama