KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said being named Malaysia’s most popular political leader should not make him complacent, insisting that public approval must instead spur him to improve his government’s performance.

According to Utusan Malaysia, Anwar said recognition from the public should serve as motivation to deliver better results rather than an excuse to ease up.

“Instead, it (the recognition) should serve as a catalyst to continue improving our performance and working even harder for the people. Alhamdulillah, I’ve heard about those findings, Alhamdulillah,” he was quoted as saying after Friday prayers at Masjid Jameatus Solehah in Dengkil.

“But I always say, in the spirit of islah ma istata’tu (making improvements to the best of our ability), that we must continue striving to improve our performance.

“We must always try to do our best, work harder and never become carried away by praise.”

Anwar was responding to a Merdeka Center survey released yesterday that gave him the highest approval rating among Malaysia’s leading political figures at 52 per cent.

The poll placed returning Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin second with a 50 per cent approval rating, followed by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at 36 per cent.

Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who has since left PKR to form Bersama, recorded 32 per cent, while Perikatan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar garnered 28 per cent.

PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi registered approval ratings of 25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.

The survey also found that 42 per cent of respondents believed Malaysia was heading in the right direction, unchanged from similar polls conducted in December 2025 and February 2026, while half said the country was moving in the wrong direction.

Economic issues remained voters’ biggest concern, with 73 per cent identifying the economy, cost of living and fuel prices as the country’s most pressing challenge.

Conducted between March 12 and April 9, the survey involved 1,209 registered voters and was designed to reflect Malaysia’s national electoral profile.