Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1465732
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 APRIL 2022 OPINION EVEN though it feels like quite a long time ago, it is only four weeks since the election was held. I had commented that the election will eventually signify a watershed moment in the histo- ry of Maltese politics. It seems that I was not wrong. The way the new Cabinet and the new shadow Cabinet were picked out shows that both parties are acting in a way that confirms that this was indeed the case. The Prime Minister left Mi- chael Farrugia out of his team of ministers. The rumours that he will be appointed Speak- er have vanished into thin air with the decision that Anglu Farrugia will be given a record third term in that post. Michael Farrugia was the only standing MP who had been a minister during the short-lived Sant administration of 1998-1999. He is the only Labour MP who served as minister under Al- fred Sant, Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela. Evarist Bartolo, the other one, did not make it to Parliament and the manip- ulation of the casual elections, necessary as a result of Labour MPs elected from two districts, ensured that he could not make it through that route either. The Prime Minister also left out of Cabinet other former ministers and parliamentary secretaries who served in Jo- seph Muscat's 'glory' days – almost as if this fact alone put them in a bad light. I need not enter into the gory details but there were good enough rea- sons why these people were not appointed ministers – and not just because they served under Joseph Muscat. Whatever its political adver- saries say, I am sure that this does represent a significant change in Labour. On the other hand, Bernard Grech's premature choice of the Shadow Cabinet also prac- tically sends the same message. I say 'premature' because technically Bernard Grech is a 'caretaker' leader until he is confirmed actual leader by the party's General Council – as is very likely to happen. For the sake of prudence, Grech should have waited until he is con- firmed PN leader before ap- pointing his Shadow Cabinet. In other circumstances, this way of doing things would have been considered arrogant, but in the current circumstances it is just a moot point. Or does it signify an impatient streak in Grech's advisors or in the PN's people behind the scenes, who- ever they might be? Impatience, in this case, to ensure that Bernard Grech's leadership post is not ques- tioned at any point in time – even when he is technically just the caretaker leader... In choosing his shadow Cabi- net, Bernard Grech left out the three surviving MPs who had been ministers under the last Gonzi administration – Mario De Marco, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Chris Said. Ber- nard Grech went further by saying that their participation in the Gonzi administration was the actual reason why they were left out. I had reason to disagree with a lot of decisions taken by Law- rence Gonzi, but even so, I do not think that being part of the Gonzi administration is a good enough reason why these three MPs were left out of the PN's shadow Cabinet set-up. Bernard Grech should have just shut up. After all, the par- ty leader has no obligation to justify such decisions. More of- ten than not, the raison d'être of such decisions is left in the realm of speculation, which – admittedly – can sometimes be completely off the mark. Have Bernard Grech's deci- sions become a victim of La- bour's propaganda machine? As Ranier Fsadni commented his Times column last Thurs- day, "some of the PN's shadow cabinet decisions appear to fol- low Labour, not logic." Wheth- er this set-up will give the de- sired results is to be seen. At least they will not spend their time undermining their own leader instead of following up what is happening in the areas, they were asked to shadow. To what extent will the set- up of the Cabinet and of the shadow cabinet affect what will happen in a future Maltese political arena? The answer is, frankly, slight. After all, when former British Prime Minister, Harold Mac- millan, was once asked what the most troubling problem of his premiership was, his reply is said to have been: "Events, my dear boy, events." The French encounter Marine Le Pen was being touted as having a chance to upset Macron's apple-cart in the Fench Presidential run-off to be held this Sunday. All this seems to have vanished into thin air when the sitting Pres- ident, Emanuel Macron, was found to be more convincing than the far-right Le Pen in a pre-election debate on French televison. Over three hours of interruptions and accusations of lying, the pair traded barbs on everything from the envi- ronment to pension reform, with neither quite delivering a knockout blow. Many French voters feel in- tense antipathy towards Ma- cron because of his image as an elitist, out of touch with ordinary people. While try- ing to make the French econ- omy more investor-friendly, Macron lost the support of people who felt that his poli- cies threatened their pensions and legal provisions to protect workers' rights. The televised debate was cru- cial for Le Pen's long quest to build her credibility and keep softening her image, while Ma- cron was under pressure to de- fend a five-year record tested by a series of social and eco- nomic crises. A snap survey by Elabe for BFM TV found that 59% of polled viewers thought Macron was more convincing than Le Pen. On Islamisation, which is a hot topic in France, Le Pen said: "I want to ban the veil in the public. I think the veil is a uniform imposed by Islamists and I think that the majority of young women who wear it cannot do otherwise." Macron promptly replied: "You will create a civil war in the sub- urbs, Madame Le Pen. How many police officers will have to run after women to enforce the veil ban?" Le Pen repeated the argu- ments used by racists practical- ly all over Europe. She insisted that people are fed up with im- migrants: "Everywhere I go, in- cluding in the deepest country- side, I have people telling me 'we can't take it anymore'. We need to solve the problem of massive and anarchic immigra- tion. France needs a referen- dum on immigration 'so that the French choose who comes, who stays and who leaves'." Macron's retort was incredi- bly intelligent: "You live solely off fear, Madame Le Pen, and resentment. A referendum would change nothing; it de- pends on the cooperation of other countries." A snap survey by Elabe for BFM TV found that 59% of polled viewers thought Macron was more convincing than Le Pen. The sitting President won the debate hands down! A new chapter Michael Falzon micfal45@gmail.com Macron sparred with Le Pen in a fiery TV debate