In one fell swoop, the Prime Minister yesterday reversed the ministerial pay rise, split the justice and home affairs portfolios, appointed three new ministers and effectively lost his majority in Parliament.

Only minutes after parliamentary secretaries Chris Said, Mario de Marco and Jason Azzopardi took their oath of office as ministers in a reshuffle that saw no new faces making it to Cabinet, Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono declared he would no longer support the government in Parliament.

An angry Dr Debono said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi should reconvene Parliament immediately – the House is in recess and will sit again on January 18 – and call a vote of confidence.

“I will vote against and the Prime Minister should call an election in March together with the local elections,” Dr Debono said, lambasting the changes announced by Dr Gonzi.

In his initial reaction, the MP had simply said he was disappointed but later his criticism escalated to an all-out attack on the Prime Minister.

“I have no confidence in people like (Dr) Gonzi. He is a Prime Minister not a god. The country is going through a lot of hardship because of his stubbornness. I have no confidence in the government whatsoever,” he said.

Speaking on Xarabank yesterday evening, Dr Gonzi said he would not be seeking a vote of confidence in the government. “I will not make the mistake Alfred Sant made,” he said in reference to the former Labour leader’s decision to call a vote of confidence when faced with a backbench revolt by Dom Mintoff.

He argued that the country should not face this situation “because I announced a reshuffle” and said that he would do his utmost to maintain stability and avoid an election now.

“The country does not need an election. What it needs is our energy to be focused on job creation and other issues, such as tourism and education . . .” he said.

His outburst overshadowed the reshuffle and the Prime Minister’s decision to withdraw the ministerial pay rise for this year and 2013, heightening the prospect of an early election.

The MP said he would be calling a press conference today.

Dr Debono was critical of the fact that no new faces were appointed to Cabinet and that errant ministers were not made to pay for their mistakes.

He identified ministers Austin Gatt, responsible for the botched public transform reform, Joseph Cassar, who, the MP said, abandoned plans for primary health care reform, and Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, who was responsible for the justice and home affairs portfolios, as the ones who failed to perform.

Asked whether he had wanted to be appointed minister, Dr Debono said he expected nothing but was irked by a message sent to him by Dr Said soon after the appointment.

“He sent me a message telling me he wanted to seek my advice on reforms in the justice sector. But I am nobody’s child,” Dr Debono said, insisting this was “an evil government”.

He questioned Dr Gonzi’s motive to withdraw the ministerial pay rise now, four years after it was introduced.

“Why did he let the people suffer by justifying the pay rise and only withdrawing it now because an election is coming? Is this the way people should be treated in a democracy?”

Dr Debono accused Dr Gonzi of turning the country into “an oligarchy” (a country run by the few for the few) and insisted the Prime Minister should have resigned when he voted against the divorce law in Parliament despite a referendum result delivering a solid Yes.

“I will not support an oligarchy in Parliament because I was elected in a democracy.”

According to Dr Debono, the Prime Minister knew of his reaction yesterday morning but, in the afternoon, after the new ministers were sworn in, Dr Gonzi said the decision was influenced by the economically difficult year ahead.

Dr Gonzi ruled out that Dr Debono, who last month threatened to withdraw parliamentary support if the justice and home affairs portfolios were not split and reforms enacted, had any influence on the action he took.

Reversing the 2008 decision with which ministers and parliamentary secretaries were also paid their parliamentary honorarium was the government’s way of leading by example, Dr Gonzi said. Dr Gonzi said that with the prospect of a difficult year looming on the horizon, the Administration had to be “more efficient and focused”, which was why the two parliamentary secretaries previously under his wing moved out to new ministries.

The justice portfolio previously belonging to Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici – who retains home affairs with the addition of local councils – has been hived off and given to Dr Said.

Dr de Marco has retained his tourism, culture and environment portfolio but is now minister while Dr Said is also responsible for public dialogue apart from justice.

Dr Azzopardi is captaining a new ministry for fair competition and consumer affairs that also includes small business.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com

New portfolios

Mario de Marco: Was Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Culture and the Environment. Is now Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment.

Jason Azzopardi: Was Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Land. Is now Minister for Small Business, Land, Consumer and Competition Affairs.

Chris Said: Was Parliamentary Secretary for Consumers, Fair Competition, Local Councils and Public Dialogue. Is now Minister for Justice, Public Dialogue and the Family.

Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici: Was Minister for Justice and Home Affairs. Is now Minister for Home Affairs, Local Government and Parliamentary Affairs.

Dolores Cristina: Was Minister for Education, Employment and the Family. Is now Minister for Education and Employment.

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