When all is said and done, opinions of the first 100 days of Joseph Muscat’s government will matter little. What will count is the public’s collective judgement at the end of this administration’s five-year term. However, from what we have seen so far, there are signs that the foundations may be a little shaky.
Whether it’s because he is in a rush to get things done or because the 36,000-plus majority has gone to Dr Muscat’s head – a bit of both might be a more accurate description – a number of decisions have left observers more than a little bemused.
After extending a unifying hand of continuity before the election, he withdrew it before the ink on his oath of office was even dry. First to go was the principal permanent secretary, followed by most of the top civil servants in an unnecessarily speedy cull.
But rather than satisfy the thirst for blood, it only served to create an appetite for more, as other changes swiftly followed: the replacement of the Police Commissioner being one of the most notable, as well as lower profile figures in bodies and entities ranging from V18 to the Ornis Committee.
If the removal of some was inexplicable, the appointment of others was dumbfounding. Franco Debono was given a role that served only to kick sand in the Nationalist Party’s face, while divisive figures like Jason Micallef were invited take a slice of the pie on offer to all those seen to have assisted Labour’s campaign. The roll-call has not ended yet as the PL’s very particular brand of meritocracy takes a stranglehold of the island.
Meanwhile, some ministers and parliamentary secretaries have shown a political greenness – to put it mildly – that has led to some strange situations.
Godfrey Farrugia engaged his partner as a consultant, prompting people to ask who was health minister; Manuel Mallia embraced prisoners as he announced a controversial 100-day amnesty; Jose Herrera proposed another two carnivals for the calendar; George Vella prevented a journalist from taking his mobile phone into the foreign ministry, while Franco Mercieca was carrying out private corrective laser eye surgery.
No sooner does one incident happen, than another emerges from round the corner. If these are still occurring in the autumn, the Government will have a more permanent problem. However, in the meantime three very pertinent questions emerge.
First, is this an administration that has no regard whatsoever for norms or rules? The Prime Minister seems to be picking and choosing what to abide by and what to ignore, the most glaring being his contempt for the ministerial code of ethics before taking the trouble to amend it.
Secondly, and more fundamentally, is that he does not seem to exercise the same level of control over the Government as he did over the Labour Party before the election. Whether this is a perception or a reality, it is one that Dr Muscat must get to grips with quickly.
It is also not clear whether Labour has, mentally, made the transition from Opposition to Government. When challenged, the Prime Minister has been drawing on examples from the former administration – seemingly forgetting that that was an administration he had berated and that he promised a new way of doing things. There has also been a worrying tendency when under pressure to attack the media.
If Labour accuse us of highlighting these things to overshadow any good they are doing, they should cast their minds back 100 days and remember what led the Nationalist Party to lose the last election.