When Joseph Muscat was elected Labour Party leader in 2008, an embittered contender, Evarist Bartolo, quoted Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel Il Gattopardo: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Those words were very appropriate then and ever so now.

The Cabinet reshuffle announced by the Prime Minister yesterday was a long overdue reaction to the Panama scandal involving outgoing energy and health minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri. From the very first day the scandal broke, public sentiment was very clear and the message even came from within Labour Party ranks: the two should go. The opening of trusts in New Zealand and secret companies in Panama was politically unacceptable.

Dr Muscat finally moved and many could only gasp in disbelief. He has taken over the energy portfolio from Dr Mizzi, who will remain minister without portfolio, working on tasks assigned to him by the Prime Minister. Incredibly, his first task is to finish the Marsaxlokk power plant he was meant to complete last year. According to the Prime Minister, Dr Mizzi is best positioned to deliver and a very good project manager. In other words, Dr Mizzi will still be de facto energy minister, although he has lost his health portfolio, going to a more deserving Chris Fearne.

As for Mr Schembri, Dr Muscat said he will remain because he is not elected but appointed by him to a position of personal trust and still enjoys his confidence.

The two people at the centre of the Panamagate scandal are still there, even if one has had his wings slightly clipped.

There was more bad news. The Prime Minister has reappointed Manuel Mallia as a Cabinet minister responsible for competitiveness. Dr Mallia made a very inglorious exit in 2014 following a shooting incident involving his driver. He refused to resign, spited Dr Muscat, and had to be removed. Now he is back.

Leo Brincat is no longer environment minister, replaced by José Herrera, who is totally new to the job. His main priority, the Prime Minister said, would be to increase contact with environmental NGOs. Meanwhile, Mr Brincat is being nominated to the European Court of Auditors to succeed where former Labour deputy leader Toni Abela has failed.

Dr Mizzi will also be relinquishing his post of Labour Party deputy leader, after he was hoisted on the party by the Prime Minister himself, despite the emerging Panama crisis. Labour delegates can be thankful for small mercies.

There was no reason for the Prime Minister to move yesterday except in reaction to a growing chorus to remove his two closest colleagues. He had been saying for weeks that he will await the audits of Dr Mizzi’s financial structures and come to his decision after also taking public sentiment into account.

But, yesterday, the Prime Minister changed the tune and said there were “indications” that there was no money involved and did not feel he needed to await the audit reports, which could possibly take months to conclude.

Repeatedly insisting he is a man of decision who acts with justice and away from the madding crowd, Dr Muscat finally announced a Cabinet reshuffle that will certainly not make the Panama scandal go away. Inversely, it will continue to haunt him.

The Prime Minister said his removing of Dr Mizzi’s portfolio was a “rebuke”. It is nothing of the sort. It is a national rebuke of a people who once voted for him in droves.

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