Great expectations

The next two days are going to be a historical moment for Maltese politics. Eddie Fenech Adami is expected to announce his resignation from the post of prime minister and from his parliamentary seat tomorrow evening during what will be his last sitting as member of the House of Representatives.

The next day he will formally hand in his resignation to the President, and so open the way for the President to appoint Lawrence Gonzi as the new prime minister. If I read correctly, Dr Gonzi's intentions, the ministers and parliamentary secretaries of his new Cabinet will be formally appointed later that same day.

Speculation on the line-up of Dr Gonzi's new Cabinet has been rife in the past few days, but Dr Gonzi has been keeping his cards close to his chest. In our parliamentary system, choosing the men and women making up the Cabinet is the prerogative of the prime minister - making the process one not very different from the issuing of some dictatorial edict - even though, once chosen, the members of the Cabinet are collectively responsible for Government decisions.

Technically, the prime minister is the first among equals - primus inter pares - but in practice he is the only person who alone chooses those who would eventually be 'his equals'. And he can hire and fire as well as shuffle and reshuffle 'his equals' at will without anybody's interference... barring a palace revolution, of course!

The Cabinet is therefore the creative responsibility of one man: the prime minister. So much so that it ceases to exist as soon as the prime minister who nominated it is no longer in office.

The actual decision-taking process must be quite a lonely affair, even though prime ministers have been known to consult gurus who act as behind-the-scene king makers! Although the fortunes and misfortunes of administrations could be totally effected by circumstances beyond the Cabinet's own control, the success or otherwise of an administration could also possibly hinge on the prime minister hitting the right combination from the players at his disposal - a situation akin to that of a football coach, although, unlike prime ministers, football coaches are given the order of the boot with comparative ease.

After all, running a country seems to be an intriguing combination of teamwork, skill and luck - much like what happens during a match of the world's most popular game!

A new Cabinet is formed after a general election and although the prime minister who nominates it would have had a good idea of his line-up for some time, in last-minute improvisations are not uncommon, usually as a result of some unforeseen electoral failures or successes that dramatically change the players at the prime minister's disposal.

This time around, there are no such surprises. Dr Gonzi has had the luxury of at least three weeks during which he should have been able to work out what looks like being the best possibility in the circumstances, plus the added experience of knowing the people he worked with in the Cabinet and in parliament, which should have placed him in a good position to assess his colleagues.

So come Wednesday, Malta will be abuzz with small talk of why A was left out of the line-up and why B got a portfolio that is much different from what was foreseen, or from what he had hoped for. And why C is bound to be a successful minister or why D will surely make a pig's breakfast of his new responsibilities. Such is the nature of man and woman gossiping on other men and women.

Hopefully, the members of the new Cabinet will move on enthusiastically to do the job that they are entrusted to carry out without further ado, as a lot of time has been - inevitably - lost.

The process of one prime minister handing over to his successor has literally brought the country to a standstill with too many important decisions being deferred, not only because there is too much uncertainty around, but also because jockeying for positions was uppermost in many people's minds.

A new prime minister usually enjoys some few days of esteem, if not outright popularity, while the people are assessing his new administration and the manner it adopts to start delivering the goods.

However, this aura of goodwill could easily evaporate as a result of just one PR disaster and the new prime minister should always keep this at the back of his mind.

Apart from the onus of leading Malta in its first years of EU membership, Dr Gonzi knows that there are some tough decisions to be taken. Handled properly, taking tough decisions need not necessarily lead to an ebb in popularity.

Indeed, when almost everybody recognises their need, tough decisions should earn more respect for those who take them and have the courage to see them through.

In the meantime the country waits with bated breath, much like an expectant father pacing up and down the waiting area nearest to the labour ward...