"Polling for Democracy: Public Opinion Polling and Political Change in Southeast Asia"
Ibrahim Suffian, Yale World Fellow 2011

Southeast Asia has long been associated with rapid developmentalism and authoritarian (or semi-authoritarian) regimes. As the world fixes its eyes on the Arab Spring, there is a need to recognize a rapidly changing political landscape in Southeast Asia where the heretofore slow process of democratization has been gaining momentum. A major contributing factor is the widespread access to information. States in which information has previously been tightly controlled are finding it increasingly difficult to manage the spread of information and political views in this age of blogs, online newspapers, Facebook and Twitter.

With the increasing ease of information exchange, there is a need for a feedback channel to keep government responsive and accountable. Public opinion polls are emerging as a critical source of information for the people and politicians. Ibrahim Suffian's Merdeka Centre was founded precisely for this purpose: to act as a bridge between the government and the public through its polling work. This is with a view to fostering more responsive and accountable government, in other words, governments that are more democratically inclined.


Ibrahim Suffian (Malaysia) is the Co-Founder & Director of Programs, Merdeka Center for Opinion Research. An entrepreneur and innovator in the public polling sector, Suffian has contributed significantly to better governance, policy development, citizen outreach, and democratic processes within Malaysia's political system. Founded in 2004, the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research has become a central player in Malaysian national politics by improving the quality of public debate, widening public participation in the political process, and contributing to the formation of a more coherent civil society.
http://www.merdeka.org/pages/01_aboutus.html