Simon Busuttil has strengthened his hand within the Nationalist Party after reshuffling his shadow Cabinet and demoting key figures from the frontbench, according to observers.
The changes marked Dr Busuttil’s first significant move at asserting his leadership within the party since taking over in May 2013.
The decision was described as “bold” by former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio, who also welcomed the inclusion of MEPs as lead spokesmen.
“The changes show Simon Busuttil has listened to criticism and he means business,” Dr Briguglio said.
The former ministers were constantly shackled by their legacy
He described as innovative the inclusion of MEPs Roberta Metsola and Therese Comodini Cachia as lead spokeswoman on foreign affairs and education respectively.
This sent the message that Maltese politics was not insular but also had an international dimension, he added. “It also says that European politics does not play second fiddle to domestic politics, which is a good thing.”
But the more strategically significant change was the removal of former ministers from key roles, according to Dr Briguglio.
For the past 19 months under Dr Busuttil’s leadership the PN has had to face constant counter-criticism linked to the performance of former ministers whenever they criticised the government’s performance.
“Even if they had good arguments, the former ministers were constantly shackled by their legacy,” Dr Briguglio said.
It is an argument columnist Michael Falzon, a former PN minister in the 1990s, agrees with.
Mr Falzon said the reshuffle confirmed what appeared to be a more assertive trait in the PN leader over the past few weeks.
“Rightly or wrongly, popular perception connected some of the lead PN spokesmen with the previous administration that was heavily defeated at the polls. This was hurting the PN’s poll ratings and Simon reacted to this.” Mr Falzon said the longer term message was that a future PN government under Dr Busuttil would not be a carbon-copy of the Gonzi administration.
Historian Joe Pirotta believes it may be too early to speak of electoral chances but the reshuffle will probably allow the PN to present a strong challenge. “These decisions are never easy to take and the move has put Simon Busuttil in a stronger position within the party,” he said.
When Dr Busuttil was elected leader it was “impossible” for him to leave any appreciable impact on the party so soon after an electoral drubbing, Prof. Pirotta argued.
But in the wake of a second massive defeat in the European Parliament election last year, Dr Busuttil had to return to the drawing board.
“Now was the right time to do the changes,” Prof. Pirotta said.
The question remains as to how effective the changes will be to spur the PN forward into a new phase.
Dr Briguglio believes that giving prominent roles to MPs like Mario de Marco and Jason Azzopardi was a good move.
“They are good speakers, but on the downside, Dr Busuttil may have lost someone like Tonio Fenech, who despite his baggage, provided depth in his criticism on public finances and energy,” Dr Briguglio said.
However, it has to be seen how individual MPs will fulfil their parliamentary roles.
Dr Briguglio noted that in previous legislature, Alfred Sant had no portfolio as an Opposition MP but single-handedly offered then finance minister Tonio Fenech the strongest criticism on the European bailout package.
“It all depends how the individual MPs view their role and whether they are willing to take an active part in Parliament,” Dr Briguglio said.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com