New Cabinet sworn in
Gonzi retains direct responsibility for the environment, tourism
A new-look Cabinet of 14 ministers and parliamentary secretaries was nominated by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this evening and sworn in by President Eddie Fenech Adami.
The biggest surprise of the evening was that Dr Gonzi kept the tourism portfolio within his responsibilities. He will be assisted by two parliamentary secretaries, Mario de Marco, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information. Dr Gonzi has also retained responsibility for the environment, Mepa, sustainable development and the AFM.
The new faces in the administration are Jason Azzopardi, Joe Cassar, Mario de Marco, Mario Galea, Clyde Puli and Chris Said. Dr Said is the only one of the candidates elected for the first time last Saturday to be given a post in the administration.
Tonio Borg has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is also deputy prime minister.
Austin Gatt has become Minister for Communications and National Projects with responsibility for IT, the Water Services Corporation and Enemalta, Malta Shipyards and the roads, while shedding his former responsibility for industry.
John Dalli returns to the Cabinet as Minister for Social Policy which, as in the 1987 administration, includes health and employment, as well as industrial relations. He will be assisted by Joe Cassar, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Mario Galea, parliamentary secretary for the elderly and community care.
Dolores Cristina becomes Minister of Education and Culture. She has had connections with the sector as a former teacher and a mother with children in University and the sixth form. Her responsibilities also include PBS and sport. She will be assisted by Clyde Puli as Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport.
Giovanna Debono retains her post as Minister for Gozo.
George Pullicino is Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs responsible, among other areas, for agriculture and fisheries, waste management, development of alternative sources of energy and oil exploration.
Tonio Fenech, as predicted, has become Minister of Finance, Economy and Investment. Helping him will be Jason Azzopardi as Parliamentary Secretary for Revenues and Land..
Carm Mifsud Bonnici has been promoted to Minister of Justice and Home Affairs. He was parliamentary secretary in the same ministry in the last administration.
The new team of ministers and parliamentary secretaries is smaller by four persons from the one in the last administration.
The new Cabinet line-up means that several ministers and parliamentary secretaries in the last administration now go to the back-benches. They are Francis Zammit Dimech, the former Minister of Tourism, Ninu Zammit, former Minister for Resources, Louis Deguara, former Minister of Health, Jesmond Mugliett, former Minister of Roads, and Edwin Vassallo, former parliamentary secretary for SMEs and Frans Agius, former parliamentary secretary for agriculture..
Also out of the Cabinet, because they failed to get elected, are former Education Minister Louis Galea, former Communications Minister Censu Galea, former Foreign Minister Michael Frendo and former parliamentary secretaries Tony Abela and Helen d’Amato.
Of the new Cabinet, only John Dalli, then a parliamentary secretary, was in the Eddie Fenech Adami team of 1987, the first Nationalist government after 16 years of Labour government. Also in that Cabinet were Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and Guido de Marco, whose sons now form part of the new administration.