Jakarta – The recent decline in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's public approval rating was influenced by his "burdensome" cabinet, according to a researcher with the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), which just released the rating survey.

"The Cabinet has become a burden for SBY with many cases, such as corruption and personal affairs, implicating many of its ministers," LSI's Ardian Sopa told a press conference on Sunday.

The survey, conducted from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10, showed that the President's approval rating dropped to 46.2 percent this year, down from 63.1 percent in January 2010.

It also revealed that the public approval regarding cabinet performance plunged to 31.6 percent, from 52.3 percent in January 2010.

The LSI survey took a sample of 1,200 respondents in all 33 provinces by direct interviews, with a 2.9 percent margin of error. (rpt)