Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/191652
11 mt survey maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2013 George Vella: least disliked but not most liked Labour Party stalwart George Vella, who once served as Alfred Sant's deputy leader, emerged from the survey as the least negatively judged minister. In fact only 8% judged his performance as Foreign Minister negatively. But while only 42% judged his performance positively, 31% replied "don't know" when asked to assess PL Voters PN Voters All 72.6 10.1 41.7 42.3 Negative 42.3% Switchers Positive 0.9 26.1 4.2 8.3 So-So 9.4 30.4 33.3 18.1 Don't Know 17.1 33.4 20.8 31.3 him. As Foreign Minister, Vella has largely escaped controversy Godfrey Farrugia: mixed results The Health Minister got a positive rating of 41%, which is just one point less than his predecessor, Joe Cassar, whose performance was assessed positively by 42% in 2012. Together with Manuel Mallia, Farrugia registers the second-highest negative rating in the survey, with 21% describing his performance nega- .1% 37% 37% PL Voters PN Voters PL Voters PN Voters Switchers All Positive 71.8 11.6 50 44.1 Negative 6 59.4 25 21.1 So-So 10.3 17.4 20.8 14.7 Don't Know 11.9 11.6 4.2 41.1% 66.7 7.2 41.6 41.1 Negative 5.1 56.5 20.8 21.1 So-So 22.2 29 33.3 22.3 Don't Know 6 7.3 4.3 15.5 tions created by Labour's promise to address shortages of medicines and reduce waiting lists. tively. For the past months the Health Minister has been struggling to keep up with the expecta- Economy Minister Chris Cardona gets the third-lowest rating in the survey, both among all respondents and among Labour Party voters. While only 12% described his performance negatively, more than 50% were either undecided or described his performance as being "so-so". 46% of the switchers said the same. In the past months, Cardona has issued PL Voters PN Voters All 64.1 Positive Switchers 41.7 37 11.6 Negative 0 39.1 4.2 12.1 So-So 19.7 27.5 45.8 21.1 Don't Know 16.2 21.8 8.3 29.8 20.1 Probably the most controversial member in Muscat's cabinet, Mallia's performance was assessed positively by 44% of respondents, which puts him in sixth place in the ministerial league, far from the relegation pool but quite a distance away from the top positions. Since his first days in office, Mallia has stirred controversy by announcing an amnesty for prisoners to mark Labour's electoral victory. He was also commended for beginning the spot checks which exposed abuses among prison wardens. But he found himself in the spotlight over the arrest of a wrongly accused man and criticism on the role taken by his chief of staff, Silvio Scerri. He also attracted criticism over his ministerial declaration of assets, which included €495,000 in cash. Not surprisingly, Mallia emerged with the second-highest negative rating among PN voters. Among this category, 60% deemed his performance to be negative. Edward Scicluna: awaiting his first budget PL Voters PN Voters Switchers All Positive 72.6 14.5 58.3 42.6 Negative 1.7 34.8 4.2 So-So 7.7 29 16.7 16.2 Don't Know 18 21.7 20.8 29.1 37% a number of expressions of interest. Respondents are probably waiting for the conclusion of these initiatives before expressing judgement. Louis Grech: embattled deputy leader? Vice-Prime Minister and European Affairs Minister Louis Grech, whose portfolio includes the implementation of Labour's manifesto, emerged as the thirdleast positively rated minister in the cabinet. This contrasts with his key role in the electoral campaign, when he substituted Anglu Farrugia in a strategic move to neutralise the negative fallout of a TV debate. While Grech is clearly not performing well according to the vast majority of respondents, a third could not express a judgement. Significantly, 18% of Labour voters replied "don't know" when asked to assess Grech's per- PL Voters PN Voters All 66.7 5.8 50 37 Negative 37% Switchers Positive 0.9 24.6 0 8.6 So-So 14.5 34.8 16.7 20.8 Don't Know 17.9 34.8 33.3 33.6 and Manuel Mallia would replace him. Recently Grech was accused by the Opposition of omitting a Brussels bank account of some €140,000 in the ministerial declaration of assets. Former PN Deputy Leader Tonio Borg enjoyed a similar rating of 38% in the 2012 survey. formance. This could also reflect Grech's portfolio as European Affairs Minister, which could be a bit detached from everyday concerns. In summer the Labour Party strongly denied a story carried by PN organ il-Mument in which it alleged that Deputy PM Grech was set to resign for personal reasons 12.1 It seems that a majority of respondents are withholding their judgement on Edward Sciciluna until after the presentation of his first budget. The budget he presented in May consisted mainly of measures announced by the previous government. In fact, 29% of respondents were undecided when asked about the performance of this minister. The technocrat-turned-minister is still popular among the switchers, 58% of whom deemed his performance to be positive. Scicluna enjoys a higher trust rating than his predecessor, Tonio Fenech, whose performance was deemed positive by 32% in 2012. Helena Dalli: not well known PL Voters PN Voters Positive Switchers All 67.5 54.2 42.3 15.9 Negative 42.3% All 35.8% 25.7% Manuel Mallia: embroiled in controversy 42.6% Switchers Positive Chris Cardona: still to leave his mark 44.1% and his integrity has never been questioned. 1.7 26.1 4.2 12.8 23.2 33.3 16.2 Don't Know 18 34.8 8.3 32.4 Leo Brincat's portfolio, which includes the environment, sustainable development and climate change, may not be the most relevant in the immediate concerns of voters. He has also been deprived of MEPA and eye-catching landscaping projects, which fall under the infrastructure ministry. Neither does this portfolio bring Brincat into direct contact with constituents. Brincat's high negative rating amongst PN voters could also reflect his demonization as a relic of the past, due to his participation in old Labour cabinets, even if this has not dented the popularity of fellow survivor Karmenu PL Voters PN Voters Positive Switchers All 61.8 37.5 35.8 8.2 Negative 35.8% 4.3 38.1 16.7 15.8 So-So 23.9 30.4 37.5 23.2 Don't Know 10 23.3 8.3 25.2 also suffered flak with southern voters, following the government's decision to close the Marsascala park. The park was closed during the summer after the nearby Sant' Antin waste recycling plant developed a fault, raising fears that that the air quality of the park had been compromised. Vella. Moreover, despite his longstanding role in his party, he only got a positive rating from 62% of PL voters, the second lowest in this category. Brincat also had to face thorny issues like hunting, thus losing points with voters dissatisfied by the government's compromises with the hunting lobby. Brincat has 9.1 So-So Brincat: a problem of visibility? A third of respondents could not access the performance of Dalli as Civil Liberties, Consumer Rights and Social Dialogue Minister. But less than a tenth judged her performance negatively. The Minister is currently piloting legislation introducing civil unions for same-sex couples, a key promise made by Labour in opposition, which enabled it to win support among liberals and the LGBTI community. But Dalli had to face the resignation of two human rights organisations from the committee drafting this legislation, following the government's decision to consider pushbacks to Libya. Methodology The survey was held between Monday, 7 October and Thursday, 10 October. A total of 638 respondents were chosen randomly from telephone directories and contacted by telephone. Of these, 400 accepted to participate in the survey. Results were weighted to reflect the age and gender balance of the population, as established in the latest census. The survey has a margin of error of +/-4%. Anton Refalo: the weakest link This survey, which is regularly conducted in October, coincided with calls for Refalo's resignation by the Times of Malta over alleged ministerial interference in the operations of Gozo Channel. The Minister described himself as the "sacrificial lamb" in the controversy, which saw an empty Gozo ferry recalled to port to pick up passengers, himself included. Refalo faced questions on his ministerial declaration of assets, which included an €830,000 loan, though he declared a joint annual income of €45,000. Amidst these allegations, 61% of PL Voters PN Voters Positive Switchers All 47 25 25.7 2.9 Negative 25.7% 6.8 60.9 29.2 21.9 So-So 10.2 15.9 4.2 11.3 Don't Know 36 20.2 41.6 41.1 PN voters and 29% of the switchers deemed his performance to be negative. Refalo emerged from the survey as the weakest link in the cabinet, with only a quarter of respondents describing his performance positively. His predecessor, Giovanna Debono, was judged positively by 35% of respondents. Among Labour voters, a considerable 36% answered "don't know" about Refalo's performance. Less than half judged his performance positively. The high number of undecided respondents suggests that Refalo still enjoys the benefit of the doubt of a large number.