Nationalist Party officials feel they are being left “out of the loop” as Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi ploughs on, following a European Parliament election defeat that “has not spurred the party into action” nor generated a “much-needed revamp in a government that is out of touch with reality”.

It is probably the worst moment for the Nationalist government in the last 22 years, party sources told The Malta Independent on Sunday, and yet party insiders feel the government and the party are doing little to improve the situation.

Last month, the PN lost heavily in the EP elections, but “it is as if nothing has happened. The matter has barely been discussed internally, let alone led to a change of direction that could push the party up from the lowest point in its recent history”.

Party sources told this newspaper that it is in the national interest that the Prime Minister gives his government a boost by adding more people to the Cabinet so as to spread the workload in a more effective and efficient way. The ministers have too much to deal with and the nomination of two or three parliamentary secretaries in the bigger portfolios would be an asset to a government that is finding it hard to cope.

Such changes, however, might not be in the interest of the party right now, because the election is too far away. But, sources asked, what should the priority be – the interest of the party, or the national interest?

It seems that the Prime Minister is “forgetting” the national interest in order to have a better chance of winning the next election, they added.

The vastness of the ministries can also be demonstrated by the amount of time it is taking ministers to reply to parliamentary questions, with several instances in which PQs are simply answered with the words “the information is still being gathered”.

Added to this, the many commitments ministers have because of their large portfolio means they are not actually present in Parliament to take supplementary questions, with the result that a Cabinet member replying in their stead is not in a position to answer the additional queries.

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This is frustrating the Opposition, but it is also a showing signs that some ministers cannot keep up with the amount of work on their desks.

Last week, The Malta Independent on Sunday reported that the idea of a leaner Cabinet after the 2008 election victory had seemed the best choice to make, but it is turning out to be a handicap as ministers have too much to do while backbenchers, who could take up part of the workload as parliamentary secretaries, twiddle their thumbs.

Likewise, the “gonzipn” idea, which seemed to be a stroke of genius that led the PN to victory at a time when various ministers of the previous administration were under fire for a variety of reasons, is now coming back to haunt the Prime Minister, who is being seen as “stealing the show too much”.

There seems to be great uncertainty as to what the government is planning to do, also because the Prime Minister is leaving “too many people who are close to him in the dark,” sources said.

Calls for a reshuffle of the Cabinet, or at least the addition of a number of parliamentary secretaries to assist ministers in their work, have so far been ignored by Dr Gonzi, who has said he has no intention to reshuffle the Cabinet at this stage.

As reported in The Malta Independent on Sunday last week, if changes to the Cabinet are to be made, they would be enacted after Parliament resumes after the summer recess, and when the government nominates Malta’s EU Commissioner, a post currently held by Joe Borg, who is the commissioner responsible for fisheries and maritime affairs.

Dr Borg could retain the post, but Malta’s Ambassador to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana and former Foreign Minister Michael Frendo also seem interested in the lucrative and prestigious position.

Such an appointment for Mr Cachia Caruana would be seen as a major personal achievement, but also as a big loss for the government considering the important role he plays and the influence he has on local affairs.

A fourth potential candidate for the post has recently emerged, Social Policy Minister John Dalli. While the appointment of Dr Borg, Mr Cachia Caruana and Dr Frendo would have little effect on the formation of the government, as none of them is a minister or parliamentary secretary, the nomination of Mr Dalli would certainly initiate definite changes to the Cabinet.

Sources told The Malta Independent on Sunday that in this scenario, one possibility could be the appointing Giovanna Debono, current Minister for Gozo Minister, Social Policy Minister – she had occupied the post of parliamentary secretary in the Social Development Ministry under Louis Galea between 1995 and 1996 – with Chris Said, currently holding the post of parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, taking up the Gozo Ministry’s responsibilities. Robert Arrigo could then replace Dr Said.

These, of course, could just be a few changes that will be made. As explained earlier, Dr Gonzi might feel compelled to give some assistance to ministers with big portfolios. Apart from Mr Arrigo, other possible candidates to occupy the post of parliamentary secretaries are Beppe Fenech Adami, Edwin Vassallo and Jean Pierre Farrugia.

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