While Robert Abela was elected leader in 2020 on the slogan of “continuity”, it is clear that his new cabinet appointments, after last weekend’s election victory, are intended to show he’s his own man.
With a major electoral victory under his belt, Abela can finally say he is no longer living under the shadow of Joseph Muscat. In his victory speech, Abela vowed he would shun arrogance and pledged “new standards” and his new cabinet is a reflection of that.
He demoted high-profile former ministers with dubious reputations, promoted others to bigger portfolios and brought in some new faces.
By leaving Chris Fearne and Clyde Caruana in their posts, Abela reaffirmed two of the most successful ministers in delicate roles. While Fearne is credited with keeping the health system in check during COVID-19, Caruana sent out the right signals that he intends to clamp down on tax evaders.
Miriam Dalli got the vote of confidence many were expecting with a super ministry and responsibility for the €700m green lungs project. After years of environmental degradation, we can only hope the government brings the change is planning to make.
Abela’s biggest gamble was his decision to hand over the delicate justice portfolio to Jonathan Attard, a lawyer who only entered parliament nine months ago. Experienced political hands have struggled to refresh Malta’s outdated legal system: assigning that task to a relatively inexperienced one is a strong vote of confidence that could prove to be a poisoned chalice.
Ian Borg has been moved out of the infrastructure ministry, replaced by Aaron Farrugia who offers a less controversial face to the much-reviled Infrastructure Malta, which will likely get new leadership. Unfortunately, the Maltese government has never given importance to the foreign ministry, even if war and migration underline the importance of diplomacy more than ever.
Evarist Bartolo had managed to restored some normality in the foreign ministry after former chief of staff Keith Schembri had essentially privatised Malta’s relationship with Libya into the hands of his cronies.
It is unclear where Borg stands on delicate issues like migration, a matter which could mean life or death for hundreds of people.
Despite infamously referring to the Labour hardcore as “Ġaħan” in his text messages with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech, Edward Zammit Lewis still managed to get elected. Yet, the former justice minister’s past exchanges do not appear to have been forgotten by Abela, who left Zammit Lewis out of cabinet.
Another casualty was Carmelo Abela, who was questioned by police over a botched HSBC bank heist, despite denying any involvement.
It is odd for the Planning Authority to get its own ministry when it should be running as an autonomous entity. The decision can only be interpreted as an admission that previous ministers responsible for the PA, have been unable to grab the bull by the horns. One can only hope Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi will leave his mark by overhauling this seemingly captured authority, which has proven to be one of the biggest failures of the Labour administration.
In the past, Owen Bonnici was the right man to steer the culture ministry after his justified fight against censorship. But his inexplicable decision to repeatedly clear Daphne Caruana Galizia’s memorial dented his credibility as a warrior for freedom of speech. If he is to restore some confidence in himself, the first thing he needs to do is to stop his government treating the culture sector as a recruitment agency for Labour supporters. Once he does that he needs to engage with the many artists who have been elbowed out of the system.
It is unsurprising to see Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, a trapper himself, retain responsibility for hunting, but it merely reinforces the Labour Party’s desire to pander to a lobby which has kept politicians at gunpoint. Ultimately, it is Abela’s skills at cracking the whip which will dictate the success of the new cabinet. But it is positive to note that he has prioritised competence on the whole.