Kedah Umno information chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said the index had a clear methodology, and its data had been analysed professionally. “(The findings) are not just from a social media post, the views of opposition politicians, or ceramah rhetoric. They are based on research,” he said in a statement today.

Shaiful said any weaknesses in the index should be addressed with facts and data. “Present your opposing data. Dissect the methodology openly. That’s how a leader confident in his stance behaves – not with labels, but facts,” he said.

On Wednesday, Sanusi dismissed Kedah’s low score of 0.593 on the index, calling it “stupid” and saying it did not reflect reality. He hinted it was a result of possible political sabotage to tarnish the state’s image in the eyes of foreign investors.

He said Kedah had seen an influx of investors placing the state among the top five in terms of approved investments in the first nine months of 2025, a result partly thanks to its unity and harmony.

However, Shaiful said rejecting the index’s findings because they were not aligned with one’s narrative did not indicate strength in leadership, but rather an inability to accept reality.

The National Unity Index for 2025 placed Kedah at the lowest ranking at 0.593, after Perak (0.648), Kelantan (0.654), Kuala Lumpur (0.659), Selangor (0.675), Penang (0.692) and Putrajaya (0.693). Pahang recorded the highest National Unity Index score at 0.817.

The index was calculated following a survey of 9,448 respondents aged 18 and above mostly in urban areas; Malays comprised 60.3% of respondents followed by Chinese (19.1%), Indians (6%), Sabah Bumiputeras (8.8%), Sarawak Bumiputeras (4.4%) and others (1.4%).