If, as is being rumoured, Joseph Muscat plans to pick a Cabinet member for the presidency, he would have a perfect opportunity to undertake a reshuffle.
Even if he does not choose a minister for the as yet largely ceremonial post, the indications are that a reshuffle is in the offing, judging by the little he said in an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta.
Dr Muscat put it this way: “I think it is natural that after the first period of government, you should make assessments, you should see if there is need for certain changes and you make those changes.”
The reply suggests Dr Muscat already knows exactly what changes he wants to make to his Cabinet.
The slant of the reply to the question that followed also indicated his frame of mind, particularly when he said there were situations where the rate of progress was not as expected.
Dr Muscat is naturally entitled to make as many Cabinet reshuffles he deems fit along the way, but one general perception is that, contrary to the impression his party gave before the election, Labour was not very well prepared for administration, even if allowance is made for the fact that the party had been out of office for many years and that the Prime Minister himself was leading a government for the first time.
The new government showed vim and vigour in the way it put on stream its energy plans, a major pillar in its electoral programme, but uncommitted voters who voted for Labour may have been disappointed at the way things have turned out since the election, particularly in so far as appointments are concerned. In spite of all that Dr Muscat has said in defence of a string of political appointees, the incontrovertible fact is that he has long thrown meritocracy out of the window. No wonder he no longer brings up the subject.
But what has probably scuppered a great deal of the goodwill the party won in the election was the gross miscalculation it made in the way it launched its citizenship scheme.
Passing amendments to a law to produce a half-baked scheme in the foreknowledge that it is still subject to a negotiating process is unparliamentary and, put simply, unacceptable by any standard. It has badly damaged Malta’s reputation, a matter that unfortunately Labour has taken far too lightly. It should be made to pay dearly for this. Labour still has a long way to go before its term is up and a Cabinet reshuffle could possibly help speed up the implementation of its programme. What would go down well is if Dr Muscat chooses to bring down the size of his Cabinet. A team comprising a prime minister, no fewer than 14 ministers and eight parliamentary secretaries is far too big for a country this size. Dr Muscat opted for an extravagant permutation, raising the cost of running his administration by more than €6 million a year.
Just short of a year into his term, the the Prime Minister knows too well who the under-performing members of his Cabinet are. He also knows the gaffe-prone members who have made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. On the other hand, at least one of the younger members of Cabinet has proven he should be trusted with a ministry.
Ultimately, a reshuffle will send the message to every government MP that they should be on their toes and perform - that they are there to serve the public in general and not just their constituents.