Aaron Farrugia was not sacked because he was doing a bad job but because the government needed to "renew" itself, Robert Abela said on Monday. 

Changing a minister was not a judgment on the way they were doing their job, Abela told Times of Malta minutes after the new cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony.

“It’s not that something was wrong, but every prime minister, including my predecessors and successors, sometimes feel they need to make necessary changes to renew the government’s work. If you do not renew yourself you become stagnant,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean my judgment was perfect but I felt I should take that decision in the best national interest.”

Abela said he could not understand why Times of Malta was singling out Aaron Farrugia when several other ministers also had their portfolios changed. 

Farrugia was the only MP in Abela’s previous cabinet who was completely left out of the new team on Saturday, after Abela had given him one of the biggest and most controversial ministries following the 2022 election - transport and infrastructure.

The ministry was transferred to Chris Bonett, who was previously a parliamentary secretary for EU funds.

The other cabinet members who were hit with the reshuffle had their previous responsibilities swapped with another portfolio.

Abela on Monday said he will be nominating Naomi Cachia as the new PL whip, to encourage and include the younger blood in the group.

But he would not say why Farrugia was not good enough to be part of the renewal, considering he was one of the younger cabinet members.

Instead, Abela had words of praise for him. 

He said during his time running several ministries, Farrugia “did the best work he could to the best of his abilities”. 

“He was born in the PL. He worked and contributed greatly to the party just as I’m sure he will continue to do as an MP,” Abela said. 

Appeasing Joseph Portelli?

The Prime Minister also refuted claims that he had added the planning portfolio to Gozo’s Clint Camilleri to appease construction magnate Joseph Portelli. 

The planning ministry was set up to make buildings more beautiful, not to fuel unbridled construction, he said, and as “an architect of great competence”, Camilleri has the right credentials and vision to strike the balance between intelligent planning and streetscaping.

“I believe he could be the man who brings needed policy changes,” he said. 

“He could find a way of helping the industry continue to grow the economy without allowing it to impact the aesthetics and the environment.”

How much more will the new, bigger cabinet cost?

"Surely not as much as the PN’s previous cabinets," Abela insisted. 

The Prime Minister would not say how much the added expenditure would be but said what the country will get in return for it is worth it, unlike what happened under a PN administration, when the country had to pay a far higher price for that government’s decisions.