By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 6: Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has questioned the credibility of a recent survey that claimed the performance of Dayak leaders was below par.
He described the comments as ‘inappropriate’ and questioned why the evaluation focused solely on Dayak ministers and deputy ministers.
“Why single out Dayak ministers? If you want to assess performance, evaluate all ministers, be they Malay, Chinese, or others.
“Do you have any other ulterior motives behind that?” he said during a press conference held at Godown Amphitheatre Kuching Waterfront here today.
Abdul Karim also suggested that the survey undermines the democratic process and reflects poorly on the choices made by Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for their respective Cabinets.
He also pointed out the limited sample size of the survey, which involved only 183 respondents, calling it insufficient to draw meaningful conclusions.
“That’s far too small. If the survey involved 2,000 respondents, then perhaps we could accept the findings.
“But with just over 100 participants, they could have selected people with similar biases against the government,” Abdul Karim added.
When asked if he believed there was an agenda behind the survey, Abdul Karim said he was suspicious of the timing and focus of the findings.
“Why single out Dayak ministers, and why base it on a survey of less than 200 people?
“Perhaps the professor has his own agenda, especially with the elections nearing. That’s a question for him to answer,” he emphasised.
The survey was conducted by Professor Dr Jayum Jawan, a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) and a member of the National Unity Advisory Council (NUAC), who collected responses from Dayak netizens on the approval ratings of 18 selected Dayak ministers and deputy ministers at the federal and State levels.
In the survey, Jayum said that of the 18 Dayak ministers and deputy ministers evaluated, only three scored approval ratings of 50 per cent and above and likened it to a ‘wake-up call’. — DayakDaily
