An overwhelming majority of Malaysians polled in a recent survey said they want a change of government and leadership, as the nation marked 58 years of independence yesterday, reflecting concerns over the current political crisis in the country.

The online survey conducted by The Malaysian Insider, a news portal, showed that 67 per cent of those polled wanted a change in government, while 22 per cent wanted better leadership. Nine per cent said they hoped for better economic prospects.

As many as 66 per cent said they were worried about the current state of affairs in the country, while 14 per cent are sad about the state of affairs. Only 13 per cent of those polled were happy with the government.

A total of 8,922 readers participated in the poll, which was conducted on the news website from Aug 20 to 29.

“A combined 80 per cent of people are either worried for the nation or sad. One would initially think this is a result of both a weak economy and political scandals, but nearly 90 per cent actually want change of government or better leadership with fewer than 10 per cent going for better economic prospects,” said political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun from Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“This indicates that people understand that the paramount propelling force for nation-building in this country is politics and not economy, and that politics drives the economy and not the other way around,” Dr Oh noted.

“They believe that by resolving the political crisis first and foremost, the economy could then essentially take care of itself,” he told The Malaysian Insider.