Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514570
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JANUARY 2024 ANALYSIS 1. By announcing the change, a week after Abela tweaked his cabinet, Grech sounded reactive. Opposition leader Bernard Grech has started the year by announcing his line-up of 'spokespersons'. The move came after Robert Abela tweaked his own Cabinet a week earlier. Grech's move was intended to grab the headlines and send a message that the Op- position means business as an alternative government. But coming just a week after the Prime Minister's reshuffle, Grech al- so appeared reactive, underlining Abela's ability to set the agenda for the Opposi- tion. One particularly reactive move was the inclusion of public cleansing to Eve Borg Bonello's climate change portfolio, in what could presage a showdown between La- bour's Glenn Bedingfield and the young tenth district MP. Grech could have avoided this percep- tion by announcing his own reshuffle at a later stage to make it somewhat of an own initiative rather then a tit for tat reaction to Abela's moves. He could also have been more imaginative in carving out a shadow cabinet which gives an idea of what a fu- ture PN government cabinet would look like. For example, the cost-of-living portfolio now awarded to Ivan Castillo along with the maritime sector and social dialogue, could have been a standalone position giv- en to a prominent and seasoned MP with a strong sense of purpose who can also rally stake holders around this issue. Planning retained by Stanley Zammit can also offer a similar opportunity in view of Labour's shortcomings and public anger at uglifica- tion. 2. This is less of a shadow cabinet and more of an exercise in keeping everyone on board. By announcing his reshuffle days after Abela, Grech invited comparisons be- tween his line-up and Abela's Cabinet, which are essentially two entirely different things. Once again Grech ncluded all 34 PN MPs in his line-up of spokespersons, thus avoid- ing offending any of his MPs but diluting the idea of a 'shadow cabinet' or a govern- ment in waiting. In this sense Grech has not invented the wheel and oppositions have always struggled to find a balance be- tween including all MPs and presenting a strong front bench. One can argue that appointing a ful- ly-fledged shadow cabinet is still prema- ture for an Opposition which is still finding its feet after three consecutive mega elec- toral defeats. But this begs the question; how can the Opposition recover if it is not perceived as a government in waiting? Grech could have avoided this by creat- ing a hierarchy which includes both shad- ow ministers responsible for a wider port- folio and junior spokespersons responsible for specific sectors. This would also create a sense of meritocracy, giving Grech the chance to promote spokespersons who perform well to the role of shadow minis- ters. But by giving a role to everyone with- out making any distinctions, Grech seems to have preferred keeping the peace and avoid resentments among those who feel left out. Moreover, having 34 spokespersons also creates a confusion and leads to replication of roles. For example, the PN has a spokes- person for the economy (Jermone Caruana Cilia), another for new economic sectors (Ivan J Bartolo) and another for SMEs and small businesses (Robert Cutajar). It also has a spokesperson for pensions (Ivan Bartolo), another for social security (Albert Buttigieg), a spokesperson for so- cial policy (Stephen Spiteri) and another for poverty reduction (Ivan Bartolo). The PN also has separate spokespersons for transport (Mark Anthony Falzon) and infrastructure (Joe Giglio) even if the two roles are correlated. While Giglio's trans- fer from home affairs is understandable in view of possible conflict with his profes- sion as a criminal lawyer, twinning infra- structure and transport may have made more sense in view of the party's commit- ment in favour of a mass transport system. 3. Grech has addressed the weakness of his front bench on finance and economic matters, but Graham Bencini still needs to prove himself. Graham Bencini a chartered account- ant has replaced Jerome Caruana Cilia as Clyde Caruana's counterpart. On his part Jerome Caruana Cilia, one of the most popular newcomers elected in 2022, has been handed the economy portfolio. This means Caruana Cilia will not be re- sponsible anymore for leading the Oppo- sition's critique of the annual budget. But while Caruana Cilia lacked the gravitas and experience to confront Finance Min- ister Clyde Caruana, it is doubtful wheth- er Bencini has the attributes to reverse this deficit. In this sense Grech's choices are conditioned by the PN's limited tal- ent pool which lacks seasoned political economists whose knowledge of finance is not limited to banking and accounting but is focused on national development. This makes any match up with Clyde Caruana - who is both an economist and a seasoned politician - difficult for the PN. The only way to address this shortcom- ing is to find an economist from outside the parliamentary group to join the team in an advisory role. In contrast the PN has a strong representation of engineers like Mark Anthony Sammut who is now responsible for transport, Ryan Callus who is responsible for energy and Stan- ley Zammit who shadows planning. This could give the party a boost in coming up with a more cohesive national develop- ment strategy. 4. Former leader Adrian Delia finds himself shadowing health in what was seen as a reward for winning the Vitals case in the law courts. But does this make him the best choice to serve as shadow health minister? Adrian Delia has proved his credentials as a good lawyer and a strong-willed pol- itician, when he won a court case which effectively revoked the Vitals concession. But that does not necessarily mean he is particularly competent on the running of the public health sector. By shifting Delia away from transport, Grech has deployed one of his most popular spokespersons to shadow government on a topic on which there is hardly any political controversy. As a seasoned politician Delia may start at an advantage against newcomer Jo Etienne Abela who was first elected to parliament in 2022. In this sense, Fearne's departure could be an advantage for Delia. And as some- one not hailing from the medical profes- sion, Delia may be in a better position to look at the sector from the eyes of the general public. But understanding the complex dynamics of the sector and the problems faced by stakeholders, may be a learning curve for the popular National- ist lawyer. Delia's conservative position on issues like embryo freezing, surrogacy and reproductive rights could also condi- tion the party's response on these issues. And after winning the Vitals case, it re- mains to be seen what position the party will be taking on public private partner- ships in the health sector. 5. Darren Carabott is the party's rising star but as shadow minister for home affairs he needs to tackle the immigration hot potato. Darren Carabott has distinguished him- self in chairing the Public Accounts Com- Bernard Grech's reactive Opposition leader Bernard Grech has decided to start the year with an exercise in 'musical chairs' which sees 13 of his MPs being given new portfolios, 11 practically retaining the same portfolio and the rest having their post tweaked. Where does this leave the Opposition, JAMES DEBONO asks.