There is nothing redeeming about the reshuffle. Nothing which will appease anyone who is sound of mind and of good conscience. PL supporters will say that the Prime Minister listened to criticism and acted upon it but the truth is that nothing has really changed. Never was there a time when the Maltese electorate was scorned and ignored as much as it has been today.

It all starts with the removal of Konrad Mizzi’s ministerial portfolios. The energy ministry is now to be directly under the control of the PM (as if it wasn't always) and Konrad Mizzi is now to become a 'Minister without Portfolio' in the Office of the Prime Minister, where he will be responsible for so-called “special projects”. Among them is the implementation of the famous "Energy Plan" which Konrad Mizzi was also responsible for as Energy Minister.

The only change that I can see is merely a change in title. The real responsibilities remain the same: Konrad Mizzi will be responsible for the energy sector under Joseph Muscat.

The decision to keep Keith Schembri as Chief of Staff is probably even worse. At least in Konrad Mizzi's case there was a fictitious attempt to usher in a form of change. But not changing his Chief of Staff is a clear message to the rest of us that Schembri is not only more important than public opinion, but that the Prime Minister is ready to lose votes over this non-action.

The real responsibilities remain the same: Konrad Mizzi will be responsible for the energy sector under Joseph Muscat.

Now I understand that trust is a very important thing, but surely Keith Schembri betrayed the Prime Minister’s trust the moment he decided to open an account in Panama. Joseph Muscat is wrong when he says Schembri is not a political person.

The Chief of Staff of a Prime Minister is as political as they come. Schembri is the one who advises him, who accompanies him to high level meetings, he is his right hand man who coordinates the activities of all the ministries. The moment Schembri’s Panama account was opened he made himself a target, thus also hurting the Prime Minister. How Joseph Muscat can trust Keith Schembri is beyond anyone’s reason.

And to continue fuelling this mockery, lo and behold even Manuel Mallia , the disgraced ex-Minister for Home Affairs has made a comeback. The same Minister who was cast aside - and rightly so - after yet another manifestation of abuse of power and lack of proper judgement.

Either the Prime Minister has a very short-term memory or this was the plan all along: to appease the general public in the present with the view that at the next possible opportunity Mallia would be compensated or rewarded with a new position of power.

Shocking right? Not really, considering this seems to be business as usual, much the same way convicted criminals have been acclaimed to be "Soldiers of Steel" and rewarded with plush jobs in Brussels.

This reshuffle is nothing but another gesture of contempt to the electorate and public opinion. It has undertones of the whole ODZ and wannabe American University fiasco, the scandalous sale of Australia Hall for development, the Gafferena land deals and Cafe Premier. The signs were clear then, as they are clear now, but Joseph Muscat will only listen to the majority of the people when it suits him and doesn’t hurt any of his interests.

This absurdity is what we have come to expect in these 3 very short years of a Labour government that has been so far infested with corruption, misconduct and utter disdain for the electorate.

There is no denying this government has brought forward some very important changes. It is also true Malta is going through a relatively positive economic patch, although many argue this is due to the worldwide economic recovery, the cheaper price of oil and the government selling off national assets, such as Enemalta together with huge chunks of public land for the Chinese to build their PV farms on, as well as Maltese and EU citizenship through the infamous sale of passports.

But there is no way we can keep up the positive vibes - something I apparently need to work on according to many FZL members - when there is a feeling of something rotten at the core of our government’s principles and practices.