The Prime Minister yesterday announced what can only be termed as a very cosmetic cabinet reshuffle which has allowed him to continue to work in cahoots with Konrad Mizzi and his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.
The Prime Minister told the whole of Malta yesterday that he was removing Konrad Mizzi’s portfolios of health and energy as a rebuke, because he felt that while Dr Mizzi seems to have no funds in his Panama company “things should have been done differently”.
Dr Muscat said that Dr Mizzi will now be under his direct control because he has assumed the Energy Ministry’s political responsibilities. However, in the same breath, he then tells us that Dr Mizzi will now be responsible for specific tasks which he will assign to him on an ad hoc basis. Surprise, surprise, the first of those responsibilities will be the power station project.
So in reality, we have a situation where the Prime Minister is responsible for Energy, which Konrad Mizzi will be heading operationally. So what has changed exactly, aside from giving Dr Mizzi even more free rein at the Office of the Prime Minister, supported by his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri?
The answer to that is absolutely nothing, and the new cosy setup will only allow for less transparency in what happens in the energy sector. It will also, in reality, bolster Konrad Mizzi’s power.
Dr Muscat wants us to believe that he is now the Energy Minister and will carry political responsibility for the sector. That is one very brave, or foolish, move. The PM has entrusted his portfolio to a minister who lost millions in a fuel hedging deal and was caught owning a secret company in Panama. The Prime Minister has also said that initial indications show that there are no monies in Dr Mizzi’s company – however, the PanamaPapers will make further documents public on 9 May and the state of affairs makes one wonder what the Prime Minister does, or does not know.
The PM said that Dr Mizzi will also be removed from the post of deputy leader for party affairs within the Labour Party, and that, of course, has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. It is highly unlikely that a deeply hurt and betrayed Toni Abela will make a return. And it does also beg the question. How long has the Prime Minister been orchestrating this whole charade behind the scenes? Was Konrad Mizzi set up to be the fall guy? Or does Konrad Mizzi have a hold of some sort over the Prime Minister?
There were, of course, other changes and let us start with the most positive one. Chris Fearne has been promoted to Health Minister and he is perhaps the most deserving of his new position. Mr Fearne, a man of few words, has proven to be energetic, capable and delivers results. He will be a successful minister.
But then, on the other hand, we see the return of Manwel Mallia as Minister for Competitiveness to replace Jose Herrera, who has been promoted to Environment Minister. This just goes to show that while Dr Mallia was literally forced from his ministerial position after his personal driver shot at a motorist who clipped his wing mirror, the Prime Minister has allowed him back into the political fold at the first possible opportunity. Dr Muscat said that Dr Mallia had shouldered political responsibility – but he didn’t, he was fired. And now he has been given another cabinet position. Which raises another question. Will the same happen with Michael Falzon who resigned in the wake of an National Audit Office report on the Gaffarena property deal scandal? It all seems even more convoluted than it was in the first place. Quo vadis Mr Prime Minister?