Joe Mizzi, who lost his seat in Cabinet this week, has told The Malta Independent that he will re-contest in the next elections and will continue to work for and dedicate his time to his constituents in the 2nd district.
Mizzi was a surprise omission from Prime Minister Robert Abela’s new Cabinet after he lost his portfolio as Minister for Energy & Water Management, with Michael Farrugia making the switch from the Home Affairs Ministry to take his place.
Contacted by The Malta Independent for his reaction to not being part of the Cabinet, Mizzi said that it was a decision which was the Prime Minister’s prerogative and that he had accepted it and would continue doing all he can to work for the betterment of the south of Malta and the country as a whole.
Mizzi said that he had always carried out his job and done his duty with “great humility, seriousness, and discipline”, which he said is something that nobody can take away from him.
He said that he will keep putting his name on the ballot sheet so that he can keep doing his duty and do his best to repay the faith that many people had shown in him for many years.
“I will keep going out for election to keep doing my duty and for those people who have given me their faith for many years, and I will be doing my best to repay them for that faith”, he said.
Mizzi is one of the veterans in Parliament, having been elected for the first time in 1987 and then subsequently be re-elected in each and every general election.
His omission from Cabinet means that the 2nd district – which is the Labour Party’s biggest stronghold – now has no representatives on Abela’s new Cabinet, something which has drawn criticism from members of the party faithful.
Charmaine Craus, who served as Mizzi’s communications coordinator, had said that the former Energy Minister did not deserve to lose his place in the Cabinet.
“You had a unique character but a man who always understood our needs, you always worked behind the scenes with absolute loyalty towards the principles you upheld”, Craus said.
“No, minister, you did not deserve this. Those who worked with you know how much time and energy you dedicated”, she said.