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James Debono
Despite losing three consecutive electoral appointments, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is still enjoying a higher degree of trust than Labour leader Alfred Sant, MaltaToday’s first opinion poll reveals.
But in his role as Finance Minister, Gonzi is the second least popular minister after Investments Minister Austin Gatt. His performance is judged positively by only 39 per cent of respondents.
And amidst growing speculation on a forthcoming government reshuffle, Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina emerges as the minister with the highest approval rating.
In the first “Trust Barometer” conducted by MaltaToday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi emerges as the most trusted among the leaders of Malta’s three political parties, with 40 per cent of respondents preferring Gonzi to Alfred Sant and Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Harry Vassallo.
The trust gap between the Prime Minister and Sant amounts to 15 per cent. Only 25 per cent consider Alfred Sant as the most trusted leader despite the Malta Labour Party’s overwhelming success in the last three rounds of local elections. This could indicate a gap between the party’s popularity and the popularity of its leader, an indication that Sant is still not trusted by a category of Labour voters.
Surprisingly Harry Vassallo has emerged as the preferred leader of 9.2 per cent of respondents, keeping the same level of support enjoyed by Arnold Cassola in the 2004 European Parliament election. AD’s fortunes took a negative turn when its candidates scored an average of five per cent in the last round of local elections. But the high level of trust enjoyed by Vassallo is an indication that the Green success in the European Parliament elections has not benn an ephemeral phenomenon.
More than a quarter of respondents are however undecided on whom to trust most. Ultimately, it will be this category which will decide the next elections.
In the light of speculation on an imminent government reshuffle, MaltaToday has also asked respondents to rate the performance of Gonzi’s cabinet ministers.
Respondents were asked whether each Minister has performed positively or negatively.
Surprisingly, despite the high level of trust Gonzi enjoys as a political leader, he scores dismally as finance minister. Only 39 per cent of respondents approve his performance as finance minister, rating him the second least popular Minister after Austin Gatt.
The PM’s low approval rate could also be an indication that he has not managed to convince the electorate that the economy is back on track. Gonzi could listen to this message by absolving himself from the burden of the finance portfolio.
The survey also confirms the trend that ministers responsible for social policy tend to enjoy a greater popularity than those with the burden of putting the country’s finances in order.
In fact Dolores Cristina emerges as the most popular minister with an approval rate of 64.3 per cent, attributable also to the minister’s charisma and moderation. Popularity could also be a perk of occupying a non-controversial ministry previously occupied by Gonzi himself.
Minister Cristina has however not refrained from taking a stand on controversial issues. On immigration she has openly supported open centres as an alternative to detention. Her humane approach contrasts with more hawkish declaration on immigration by other ministers. She was also prompt in distancing herself from Child Commissioner Sonya Camilleri’s confessional stand against in vitro fertilisation. Cristina’s hot potato is rent reform as an issue, where she is currently walking on a tightrope due to conflicting pressures from AD and landlords on one side, and tenants on the other.
Not surprisingly, the minister responsible for roads Jesmond Mugliett emerges as the second most popular minister, with 56.7 per cent of respondents judging his performance positively. His popularity has not been dented by the bus owners’ strike, which had paralysed public transport for weeks. Other Ministers must be envying Mugliett’s luck at having the greatest amount of funds to invest in new roads which can be appreciated by all. Opening new roads with Italian Protocol monies appears to be a much more appreciated task than taking steps to reduce the deficit.
On the opposite end of the scale one finds investments minister Austin Gatt whose abrupt antics provide a contrast with Cristina’s moderation.
Austin Gatt has emerged as the least popular minister with an approval rate of just 38 per cent. One could attribute this to the fact that too many hot issues fall under his portfolio. His direct confrontation with former Sea Malta chairman Marlene Mizzi and his habit of chopping heads could also have dented Gatt’s image. One might laud Gatt for having the guts to push through unpopular reforms but his bulldozer approach and poor public relations do not seem to endear him with the electorate.
Interestingly Louis Galea emerges from the survey as the third most popular minister despite being embroiled in various financial scandals for the past decade. The Auditor General’s damning report on mismanagement at the Foundation for Tomorrow Schools has not dented this minister’s popularity. During the days during which the survey was conducted, Galea was in the media spotlight after reforms on the stipend system were announced.
Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg is the fourth most popular Minister with an approval rate of 54.8 per cent. His hawkish stand on immigration could have endeared him with those swayed by the prevailing anti-immigrant sentiment. Before summer Borg hijacked the media by orchestrating a campaign to put a ban on abortion in the constitution. In so doing he managed to alienate what he termed the “liberal elite” in his own party but his popularity has emerged unscathed.
The other woman in the cabinet, Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, also makes it to the top five, all of which have managed to surpass the 50 per cent approval rate.
But this is not the case for golf course proponents Francis Zammit Dimech and George Pullicino. Zammit Dimech scores 48.5 per cent. His attempt to reinvent himself as a minister who delivers and meets benchmarks has received a blow by his failure to increase the number of tourists visiting Malta. The 50,000 extra tourist benchmark set by the Prime Minister in the last budget seems like an impossible target.
With an approval rate of 47.9 per cent George Pullicino is the seventh most popular Minister. Pullicino’s popularity could have been dented by his involvement in various controversies ranging from hunting to local issues like the Qui-Si-Sana project and the Sant Antnin recycling plant.
Even lower on the scale one finds Foreign Minister Michael Frendo whose low approval of 43.3 per cent could be an indication that foreign affairs is very low in the agenda of the Maltese.
Although health must be very high on the agenda of the Maltese, Minister Deguara enjoys the same rating as Minister Frendo. Deguara has recently been criticised for his handling of preparations for the flu pandemic. A year ago he also pushed a controversial ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.
Ninu Zammit and Censu Galea can be consoled by the fact that they have a more favourable rating than their own Prime Minister but the obscure nature of their ministries, the Resources and Infrastructure portfolio and the Communications and Competitiveness portfolio respectively, has lowered their media profile. In fact a large number of respondents could not even rate their performance.
The next MaltaToday survey is planned for 6 November.
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