Reluctant ministers and a reshuffle

It is no use keeping ministers in positions where they are clearly unhappy or what, is worse, who are not performing well.

In this respect the resignations of Godfrey Farrugia and Franco Mercieca which pre-empted a major reshuffle were a positive turn of events. The former might be a fantastic doctor with a great bedside manner but he does not seem to have the right personality to tackle the considerable problems in the health sector, while the latter made it quite obvious from the beginning that he was reluctant to give up his practice (which begs the question, why did he accept the post in the first place?)

I really don’t see the point of retaining them for the whole five-year stretch when we all could see that something was very wrong.

Despite those who are singing Farrugia’s praises now, and lamenting his departure, until just the other day I was reading complaints about the ongoing shortcomings at Mater Dei. So which is it? John Dalli, who was appointed as a consultant, has been accused by some of trying to take over and of not letting Farrugia get on with the job but, to me, even before Dalli came along, Farrugia always seemed to look as if he were overwhelmed with the enormity of the task which had been given to him. A minister is supposed to inspire confidence and not make you feel anxious because he cannot cope.

And nowhere was it more clear that Farrugia was not happy and that he was on his way out than from the steady stream of critical public statements being made by his partner and fellow MP Marlene Farrugia.

Believe what you will, but as public relations go, Team Labour is determined to show that they are still united.

Obviously, Muscat had already indicated to the two cabinet members that they were to be replaced in the reshuffle, so I do have to hand it to them for taking the bull by the horns and resigning; this is not so common in Maltese politics where politicians tend to hang on with grim claws and gritted teeth to their seat of power. And to ensure that talk of a rift would be nipped in the bud, we even had a photo tweeted by Head of Government Communication Kurt Farrugia of the PM and Farrugia in a chummy “no hard feelings” embrace.

Believe what you will, but as public relations go, Team Labour is determined to show that they are still united.

While some have interpreted Saturday’s developments as signs that there are already cracks in the new administration, personally, I just see it as good old common sense. Why keep plodding on with the same team just to give the impression that everything is OK or so as not to rock the boat? Better to pull the plug now instead of allowing things to fester at the expense of us the public who are still not being served in too many government departments.

We have been through this before with the wrong people placed at the helm but who ride out the whole legislature in defiance anyway, leaving a slew of disastrous decisions in their wake.

The reshuffle decisions are less straightforward to analyze because once again we have to wait and see if someone delivers before commenting.

What is inexplicable to me is why two very important sectors, culture and health, have been re-assigned yet again and given to ministers who already have a heavy load

There are four ‘new’ faces promoted from the backbench: Justyne Caruana, Chris Fearne, Chris Agius and Michael Falzon and there has been some chopping and changing of sectors which now fall under different ministries. Meanwhile, Stefan Buontempo, Edward Zammit Lewis and Jose Herrera have been given new roles.

For Zammit Lewis it’s definitely a step up (and a vote of confidence) to be given the crucial Tourism Ministry now that Karmenu Vellu is on his way to Brussels as EU Commissioner, but the uninspiring Buontempo seems to have been simply slotted into local government, a sector where he can (hopefully) do the least harm.

Herrera, who had made it very, very clear that he was not a happy bunny with his original post has now been given economic growth and competitiveness, although he remains a junior minister. That, in itself, is telling.

What is inexplicable to me is why two very important sectors, culture and health, have been re-assigned yet again and given to ministers who already have a heavy load (Owen Bonnici and Konrad Mizzi respectively).

Muscat must have supreme confidence in them to place such a wide-ranging portfolio on their shoulders. Maybe they know how to delegate and keep things moving, proving that they can take decisions quickly and are always on the ball when it comes to keeping everyone on track? Still, creating these super ministries is never a good idea.

At least Konrad Mizzi will have Chris Fearne as Parliamentary Secretary for Health but there is no one specifically assigned to help Owen Bonnici in the culture sector, which has been shunted from one ministry to another for as long as I can remember.

Bonnici’s promotion to minister from Parliamentary Secretary, on the other hand, is a big gold star for performance if there ever was one. The ones who have retained their ministries have been given a metaphorical pat on the back that they are on the right track, although frankly, I really did not expect Manuel Mallia to be given the Muscat seal of approval.

While change in itself can be healthy, the downside to new people stepping in and responsibilities being shifted is that we have to wait until everyone finds their feet, while they bring in their own people and we witness all the other ripple effects which a ministerial change brings with it. Meanwhile, an impatient and highly demanding electorate which was promised a better way of doing things is still drumming its fingers for many of the improvements which had been part of the campaign rallying cry.

Will Michael Farrugia, for example, be able to carry on the progress made by Marie Louise Coleiro Preca in the ministry for the family and social solidarity or will he start changing things just for the sake of it, to put his own stamp on the sector (a trap which many politicians fall into)?

What we do know is that, a year down the line after a Labour victory, as we adjust once again to who is responsible for what, one thing is clear: Muscat expects his ministers to deliver. The PN has accused him of using people to get elected and then throwing them away, but this is a strange way of looking at things. No one puts a gun to a politician’s head to run for election or to accept a Cabinet post – if they cannot handle the pressures and stress of governing or are simply unhappy in the role they have been assigned, they should be removed or take a leaf out of Farrugia and Mercieca’s books and resign.

Better that than allowing them to continue enjoying the clout and kudos of being “il-Ministru” just to save face.