Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/260953
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2014 16 Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca – Queen in Labour's kingdom PL voters change PN voters Change Switcher change all Positive 84.3 -3.7 40.9 13.4 66.7 -4.1 67.7 Negative 3.3 -0.1 31.8 -0.1 12.5 0 9 So-and-so 9.1 4.8 10.6 -16.9 12.5 0 12.3 Don't Know 3.3 -1 16.7 3.6 8.3 4.1 11 The vintage Labourite with deep roots in old labour, stays on as the government's best performing minister, overtaking Konrad Mizzi by 10 points. She is the most positively rated minister among PN voters, 41% of whom deemed her performance to be positive; and the minister who is judged more positively (41%), than negatively (32%) by PN voters. Still, in an indication she also faces some problems, she loses 4 points among Labour voters and among switchers. The social policy minister distinguished herself by presenting a green paper on poverty and establishing of family resource centres which will provide a variety of support services in the community. She has also defended the government's proposal for parents to take their sick leave to attend to their children if they were unwell despite objections by the Chamber of Commerce. 67.7% Konrad Mizzi – minster versus the bills PL voters change PN voters Change Switchers change All Positive 84.3 -2 19.7 2.3 66.6 -8.4 57.6 Negative 5 2.4 42.4 -4 16.7 12.5 13.7 So-and-so 4.1 -3.6 28.8 2.8 8.3 -12.5 16 Don't Know 6.6 3.2 9.1 -1 8.4 8.4 12.7 The energy and water conservation minister shares the top rank with Coleiro Preca, with overall positive ratings increasing by 4.4 points, mostly thanks to improved ratings among voters who did not reveal their political allegiance. This increase comes in the wake of the government's decision to award the contract of the new gas fired power station to the ElectroGas consortium which would enable the government to reduce energy bills by 25% in March. Despite accusations of nepotism following the direct appointment of his wife, Sai Mizzi Liang, as a Malta Enterprise envoy, 58% of respondents still assessed Mizzi's performance positively. He also a significant 8 points among switchers. 57.6% Evarist Bartolo – the reformist PL voters Change Pn voters Change Switchers change All Positive 77.7 3.3 25.8 4.1 45.8 0 57 Negative 4.1 -1.9 28.8 -11.8 12.5 -16.7 8.7 So-and-so 11.6 -2.1 37.9 17.6 29.2 4.2 22.7 Don't Know 6.6 0.7 7.5 -9.9 12.5 12.5 11.6 Innovative and potentially controversial reforms in education, which included the introduction of co-eds and ethics as an alternative for students who opt out of religion classes, have not dented the approval rate of the education minister. Bartolo is one of the few ministers who has seen their positive ratings increase among both Nationalist and Labour respondents. Among Nationalist voters he is the second most popular minister after Coleiro Preca. He has steered clear of political controversy and involved parents in a consultation process on school reforms, while launching a co-ed school in Pembroke. In his role as employment minister he is repeatedly criticised for job losses but layoffs from pharmaceutical company Arrow Pharm have not dented Bartolo's popularity. 57.0% Karmenu Vella – popular with PN voters PL voters Change PN voters Change Switchers change All Positive 72.7 -6.8 24.2 8.3 50 -12.5 55.7 Negative 2.5 1.6 25.8 1.2 4.2 4.2 7.7 So-and-so 14 -0.3 34.8 -7.2 16.7 -16.6 19.3 Don't Know 10.8 4.9 15.2 -2.3 29.1 24.9 17.3 Veteran minister Karmenu Vella is the third-most positively rated minister among PN voters, his rating increasing by eight points but decrease by seven points among PL voters. Vella chose to defend MTA chief Josef Formosa Gauci publicly after union daily l-Orizzont claimed he had obtained €23,000 extra from his post at MTA for getting a benefit for his own car and an extra benefit of an official car on top of his €77,000 annual salary. Over the past months he has largely avoided controversy and has built on the successes of his predecessor, Mario de Marco. This suggests that the electorate views tourism as a strategic sector and values its successes. 55.7% Joe Mizzi – Arriva-buster PL voters Change PN voters Change Switchers change All Positive 74.4 1.8 24.2 5.4 62.5 12.5 51.7 Negative 4.1 0.7 36.4 -2.7 12.5 4.2 12.3 So-and-so 14 -3.9 30.3 2.8 16.7 -20.8 23.3 Don't Know 7.5 1.4 9.1 -5.5 8.3 4.1 12.7 Transport Minister Joe Mizzi saw ratings increase by 5 points following the departure of Arriva Malta and the temporary nationalisation of public transport. Surprisingly his positive rating increased by 5 points among PN voters, indicating a degree of trust in his handling of transport reform following the Arriva debacle. So far he distinguished himself with a down-to-earth approach to transport reform. It shows that respondents are unfazed by the sub-standard coaches introduced following the departure of the bendy buses, and which cost taxpayers €243,000 a week. 51.7% Edward Scicluna – between a good budget and a gaffe PL voters Change PN voters Change Switchers Change All Positive 68.6 -4 13.6 -0.9 45.8 -12.5 45.7 Negative 5.8 4.1 33.3 -1.5 8.3 4.1 11.3 So-and-so 11.6 3.9 39.4 10.4 25 8.3 23 Don't Know 14 -4 13.7 -8 20.9 0.1 20 Finance minister Edward Scicluna, who presented a budget widely perceived as positive, has seen his positive rating increase by 3 points overall, but his rating among Labour voters has decreased by four points. In December he 'distinguished' himself for his gaffe on the citizenship scheme, when he admitted to a European Parliament committee that the IIP had been marketed wrongly. Addressing the EP's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Malta's budget, Prof. Scicluna said had he been an MEP he "would not accept the situation". 45.7% Rating the ministers 67.7% 57.6% 55.7% 57% 51.7% 45.3% 45.7% 45.0% 44.7% 43.3% 43% 43% 42% 34.3% 16 mt survey Methodology The survey was held between Friday 7 February and Thursday 13 February. A total of 631 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%.