8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 APRIL 2020
NEWS
ANALYSIS
Delia's reshuffle produces
In the middle of a pandemic, a
magnanimous (or weakened) Adrian
Delia appointed a shadow cabinet
that has promoted some of his
most vocal critics to key positions
in justice, home affairs and good
governance in a bid to restore party
unity. But how does the shadow
cabinet compare with the actual
cabinet?
JAMES DEBONO
THE most notable change in Adrian
Delia's shadow cabinet is the elevation
of Claudio Grech, a prudent internal
critic, as the party's spokesperson on
the economy, filling a major void in
the party's policy-making machine
but also cementing the role of one
who could very well be a potential
successor after a probable defeat in the
next general election.
But the most striking change was Delia's de-
cision to relinquish the justice portfolio and awarding
it to his most vocal critic in the parliamentary group,
Jason Azzopardi, the lawyer of the Daphne Caruana
Galizia family.
Other prominent critics placed in strategic posts were
rewarded too, giving Karol Aquilina the good govern-
ance portfolio and newcomer David Thake the environ-
ment portfolio.
Significantly Delia has now delegated home affairs,
justice and good governance to his internal critics who
are associated with anti-corruption movements like Re-
pubblika.
Delia may have succeeded in keeping everybody on
board even if past experience suggests the truce between
rival factions may be temporary, especially if the party
fails to make any inroads after the COVID-19 crisis.
Moreover, the majority of Delia's appointees will
struggle to outsmart Labour's more seasoned cabinet.