If a week is a long time in politics, five weeks must seem like an eternity. In fact it already seems a long time since the electorate booted the Nationalists out on March 9 and ushered Labour in. In reality, while every day counts and might mark achievements or mistakes, just over a month in office is a fraction of the five years assured to Labour by its thumping majority.

A fraction, but an important one. Over the five weeks the Government has been taking over the trappings of administration. It is moving at uneven speed, but has already made significant changes. Perhaps the most significant was the appointment of a new Police Commissioner – Peter Paul Zammit – in midweek. It was a carefully staged event. The outgoing holder of the post, John Rizzo, was not pushed into retirement, as has happened in the past. After 12 years in the job he was given another important role to fulfil.

Other appointments are proceeding rather slowly, though further major ones have been made, such as in the top of the Civil Service and permanent secretaries. Changes in the government-appointed directors at the Bank of Valletta – two, including the chairmanship, John Cassar White and Deo Scerri – were also noteworthy. Yesterday it was revealed that the Tourism Minister has identified a new chairman for Air Malta, Raymond Fenech, still to be confirmed by either side, plus another leading businessman, Joe Gasan, touted for a directorship.

Rather oddly, though names are mentioned with certainty, the new chairmen for Malta Enterprise and Enemalta Corporation, Mario Vella and Charles Mangion, have yet to be announced. So, too, are scores of appointments to myriad positions in the public sector. The mix of these appointments, the extent to which non-Labourites are also selected, will indicate whether the Government will put its electoral pledge that Malta belongs to everybody into practice.

Following the practice of the previous government, which staffed practically every board and committee with Nationalists or fellow travellers, it does not need to do so. Yet, both in terms of its declared philosophy as well as practicality and common decency, it should. There must be an end to the tribal freezing of almost half of the electorate by the winning party. Able human resources are scarce. Those available should be tapped and mobilised for the good of the country.

Over the past five weeks the Labour Government has also been taking stock of the state of the nation. The Finance Minister reported that the Budget deficit for 2012, for which the Nationalist administration has enduring responsibility, exceeded the confident forecast by around 40 per cent in relation to GDP. Nationalist efforts to deny this were both weak and silly. The picture has to be real. The new Finance Minister, Edward Scicluna, a hugely respected economist, would not even dream of tampering with figures.

The Government has to take further stock of the political human resources it inherited. For instance, it seems to be encountering two difficulties, hindering it from making replacements. One is that Nationalist appointees in various positions, such as at the top of PBS and ARMS Ltd, have a binding contract. Removing them would trigger very substantial payments to them.

It also appears to be the case that political appointees in Nationalist ministerial offices were given a term contract by Mimcol. The election past, they have simply gone there to twiddle their thumbs. If they are sent home they too may be entitled to expensive compensation.

These and other factors have not yet been revealed to the public. They should be. Both because they are bad examples of governance by the Nationalist administration and also to be sure that the Labour Government does not fall into the same temptation. Political appointees should be just that, subject to a short period of notice binding both sides.

To give them expensive term contracts, especially close to a general election, is reprehensible procedure which costs the people money. Politicians who act in this manner should be exposed and held to account. Another case of dubious behaviour for the pressed National Audit Office to examine.