Joseph Muscat had been mulling a Cabinet reshuffle for some time but the extent of change may have been forced by circumstances, according to Louis Deguara.
The former Nationalist health minister believes that the reshuffle so early in the day of the administration may have been “accelerated” by the resignations of Godfrey Farrugia and Franco Mercieca.
“The Prime Minister had two resignations, whether formal or informal, and another MP was nominated for President... the reshuffle was accelerated by the circumstances,” Dr Deguara said.
But one year into any minister’s appointment was too short a period to judge the success of the performance, he added. “It is unfair on any minister.”
The Prime Minister’s decision to replace four Cabinet members and shift no less than eight portfolios has no precedent in recent political history.
But according to former Labour MP Joe Micallef Stafrace, whether the reshuffle should have happened now or two years down the line is a moot point.
Dr Micallef Stafrace, who for a brief period formed part of Cabinet in the 1970s before resigning over differences with then Prime Minister Dom Mintoff, insisted that reshuffles will always remain the Prime Minister’s prerogative.
“The Prime Minister is not expected to publicly give an appraisal of each and every minister,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister could have made a better evaluation of the individual qualities after a year.
But there may also be “internal mechanics” at play that people on the outside would not be aware of, the political veteran noted.
“At the end of the day it has always been the case that the government is shaped according to the Prime Minister’s wishes.”
It is a view shared by former Labour health minister Vincent Moran, who believes the Prime Minister is best placed to know what the country’s needs are, where the administration would like to go and what the individual abilities of the ministers are.
The reshuffle was accelerated by the circumstances
While acknowledging that a year may be too short a period to assess performance, he believes the Prime Minister would have weighed more than just the ability of individual Cabinet members and backbenchers.
“It is not just a question of recognising a person’s ability but also of assessing whether he can cope in the role assigned to him,” he said.
And this assessment was more crucial when Cabinet included new faces without a parliamentary or ministerial track record, he added.
But for former PN MP Edwin Vassallo, who also had experience as a parliamentary secretary, the reshuffle was Dr Muscat’s attempt to hide his own leadership defects.
“The problem is not the ministers but the Prime Minister’s leadership style that harks back to the pre-election period when he tried to appease everyone only to realise that once in government he could not deliver.”
Mr Vassallo said it was a strategic mistake for the Prime Minister to announce the reshuffle three weeks before it actually happened. This created unease in the ministries, he added.
“The only conclusion I draw from Dr Muscat’s early announcement is that he wanted to show Cabinet his dominance. It is a totalitarian style of leadership which expects you to do as he says or be removed.”
ksansone@timesofmalta.com
Times Talk on TVM will tonight discuss the Cabinet reshuffle and analyse its implications.