KUALA LUMPUR: The year 2023 was a busy one for Malaysia's MADANI government.
Many notable events took place (six simultaneous state elections!) and the measures were taken to address the changing economic landscape. Numerous initiatives were launched such as the Menu Rahmah Programme and Skim Perubatan MADANI.
With all the buzz generated in the media about the programmes, one wonders how things played out online. A search through Google Trends, however, allowed us to get a peek at what people in Malaysia looked for when they searched the term "MADANI" on Google throughout 2023.
What MADANI-related terms were people Googling for?
In 2023, the term "MADANI" experienced a surge in popularity in December, particularly from December 3-9.
This surge in interest can be attributed to two significant events - the MADANI Government One Year Anniversary Programme and the commencement of the eMADANI credit redemption, offering RM100 for e-wallet users.
Taking place from December 8-10, the MADANI Government One Year Anniversary Programme was held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium and featured activities such as the Mega Madani Sale, discounts on traffic summons offered by the Royal Malaysian Police and booths operated by various government ministries and agencies. More than 230,000 visitors attended the three-day event.
Registration to redeem the RM100 eMADANI credit began on December 4 and ended on February 20, 2024. Use of the e-wallet credit will run until February 29, 2024 and involves the participation of four e-wallet service providers, MAE by Maybank2u, Setel, ShopeePay and Touch 'n Go eWallet.
Smaller spikes in searches occurred in January (January 15-21), June (June 18-24), August (August 20-26) and September (September 10-16).
Interest shown in "MADANI" between January 15-21 could be due to the fact that January 19 was the date when the "Malaysia MADANI" concept was first announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, the interest shown during June 18-24 may have been caused by the start of the Skim Perubatan MADANI, which began on June 15 until December 31. The pilot initiative was implemented by the Malaysian government through the Ministry of Health as a response towards answering the health needs of the B40 group for Acute Primary Care Services.
A furore erupted in 2023 over Malaysia's official logo and theme for National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations. Peaking on August 21, the discussions over the topic could have contributed towards the search interest on "MADANI" through August 20-26.
Malaysia Day celebrations held on September 16, were behind the searches for "MADANI" during September 10-16. National-level celebrations that year were held at the Unity Stadium in Kuching, Sarawak with 5,000 Malaysians attending the event.
The Top 10 Malaysian States Most Interested in MADANI
The trends data reveals interesting search patterns in terms of geography.
Putrajaya leads as the state with the highest search interest in "MADANI". It is followed by (in descending order) Kelantan, Perlis, Terengganu, Labuan, Sabah, Kedah, Perak, Sarawak and Pahang.
Further exploration into the search interests of these states revealed interesting patterns.
There were two topics most popular among those searching for "MADANI". People in Putrajaya, Labuan, Sabah, Perak, Sarawak and Pahang were looking up the term "Malaysia MADANI". On the other hand, Kelantan, Perlis, Terengganu and Kedah were pairing it with the search term "medicine".
When it came to top queries related to "MADANI", people in Putrajaya were searching for "maksud MADANI", whereas individuals in Labuan, Sabah, Perak, Sarawak and Pahang were googling the term "Malaysia MADANI". Regarding Kelantan, Perlis, Terengganu and Kedah, their queries were medically-inclined with searches done on "perubatan MADANI" or "MADANI perubatan".
The Top 10 Malaysian Cities and Towns Most Interested in MADANI
A closer look at Google Trends has also allowed us to gain insights into which cities and towns were most captured by "MADANI".
The top 10 cities (in descending order) are: Tumpat (Kelantan), Yan (Kedah), Pasir Mas (Kelantan), Putrajaya (Putrajaya), Ayer Hitam (Johor), Ajil (Terengganu), Melor (Kelantan), Sik (Kedah), Gua Musang (Kelantan) and Kota Belud (Sabah).
Top 10 Most Searched Topics Related to MADANI
Google users in Malaysia searching for "MADANI" also explored a variety of other topics. The top 10 topics include Malaysia MADANI, Medicine, Clinic, Logo, Digital wallet, Skim Perubatan MADANI, Aid, Wallet, Civil society, and Career. This diverse range of results suggests that "MADANI" is not only a government-related term but also encompasses various aspects of daily life.
Top 10 Most Searched Queries Related to MADANI
The top 10 queries associated with "MADANI" searches shed light on the specific information users sought. These queries, in descending order, are Malaysia MADANI, Perubatan MADANI, MADANI Maksud, Skim MADANI, Skim Perubatan MADANI, Klinik MADANI, Logo MADANI, Logo Malaysia, Malaysia MADANI Logo and Semakan MADANI. – BERNAMA