Gossip, rumours, speculation and reports about a looming Cabinet reshuffle have been on the increase during these past weeks. Whether this materialises or not remains to be seen. This is nonetheless the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister, who may or may not discreetly seek the opinion of an advisor or two who may roam about in the corridors of power in Valletta and Hamrun. But ultimately, the final word is his.
Far from the shuffling and weaving of playing cards and choosing the right pivot cut to ensure fairness with cards players, a Cabinet reshuffle is a different matter altogether … although in a Cabinet, as in a pack of cards, the king, the queen, the jack and the ace always play a role.
A Cabinet reshuffle is not a musical chairs game either. Such a reshuffle is serious business which should be addressed objectively away from pressures and away from any arm twisting which may be exercised behind the scenes, away from what the media can detect and report. A Cabinet reshuffle should neither be dictated by what opinion polls and surveys show.
Nonetheless, a Cabinet reshuffle is not the end of the world, nor would it mark the end of this legislature. Although a reshuffle, like most changes, will create some uneasiness within the PL Parliamentary Group, this will fizzle out once a token alternative is found for injured parties. Government is well positioned to bestow such appeasements to iron out any differences arising out from a Cabinet reshuffle. As has been demonstrated in the past months, Government has not shied away from entertaining party supporters and rewarding switchers, and would not find it difficult to compensate others from its inner circle who may feel aggrieved for some reason or another.
Parliamentarians entrusted to lead and manage these islands forward should be held accountable for their actions as their decisions impinge directly on each and every one of us, irrespective of the political creed which one may hold. In this light, the Prime Minister is duty bound to take whatever actions are needed to ensure that, at minimum, these islands continue on a path that provides for a good quality of life. The appointment of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries is not, and should not be, subject to the hold that Parliamentarians may have on their Party or on its Leadership. Such appointments should be based on the sole criterion that those entrusted with these duties have the capabilities and knowledge to do so diligently. Malta cannot afford to be led by people who are incompetent. The PL enjoys a strong Parliamentary Group majority and one would hope that capable persons would be found from within the group to fulfil the administrative roles diligently.
The Employment and Relations Act 2002 clearly defines that for employees earning salaries which are at least double the applicable minimum wage, the probation period is of one year unless a shorter period is agreed on in the contract of service. Not that this is in any way applicable to Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries! In normal circumstances, persons holding positions of trust have their performance scrutinised and analysed within the first twelve months. With Government nearing this benchmark, the Prime Minister is well positioned to make an assessment on the performance of his team. People will likewise, irrespective of their political allegiance, make their judgement on the performance of the individual ministers and parliamentary secretaries. Nonetheless, this may not necessarily be a judgement on the working of the government as a whole. This will come later although it appears that some have already made up their minds and switched back to their former allegiance. While Government is prone to lose from his comfortable advantage, ministers and parliamentary secretaries who are not able to deliver will accelerate government’s decline.
This may be the time for two or three Parliamentary Secretaries to be promoted to Ministers with broader responsibilities and portfolios. On the other hand, some Ministers with egos larger than life and arrogance to match need to be cut down to size. One or two Ministers will leave no option to the Prime Minister but force him to make the difficult decision to let them go notwithstanding that this may create ripples within the Party. Their poor performance has left many people disappointed, including PL loyal supporters who openly speak about various shortcomings, lack of strategy and vision. On the other hand some backbenchers should be considered to fill vacancies and substitute non-performers from the front line of Government.
What I write here is only related to the implementation and administration of government policies and has nothing to do with the way that some Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries are dealing with PL supporters when making good on promises made to their constituents before the general election. What they have promised is by far different from what they are now delivering. Many are now left with the short end of the stick. That analysis would be a different scenario and would undoubtedly give a different result.
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