Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/673696
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 MAY 2016 10 Cabinet reshuffle PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat's shock move to retain Konrad Mizzi in the Cabi- net and Keith Schembri as chief of staff, two men so firmly entrenched in the gov- ernment's central nervous system, sug- gests a chess move aimed at consolidating his personal control over Labour and gov- ernment. For the last two months he weathered a barrage of revelations concerning the off- shore holdings the two men set up in Pan- ama, two mass demonstrations organised by the Nationalist Party on Castille place, and a confidence motion he carried with ease. But at what cost? When he finally announced that he would demote Mizzi to a minister 'without portfolio' under his purview and keep Schembri running Cas- tille, and promote Manuel Mallia – whom he had dismissed in 2014 – to the Cabi- net, there was a moral emptiness about his move. That hubris was all about political calcu- lation. Elections on his mind Muscat's decision keeps the Opposition in a confrontational mode as he banks on weathering the storm through sheer per- sonal charisma and a blitz of good news on the economic front. The narrative is sim- ple enough: Labour in power is a positive force, the Nationalists are negative and 'bitter'. He knows that even in the thick of the Panama Papers revelations, with a confi- dence motion giving the Opposition 13 hours to lay into him, he could bank on entrenched loyalties. The onslaught on Labour has galvanised supporters into de- fending their government, now seemingly under threat, hoping to thrive in a more polarised landscape where he may benefit from his power of incumbency. Panamagate has already dented Muscat's 36,000 majority. There's no question that a section of switchers is inevitably migrating back to the PN or possibly other parties. The safe bet is that Muscat has resigned himself to winning in 2018 with a lower margin than his, admittedly unnaturally massive majority. And he will turn the next election into a personal confrontation with Simon Busut- til, where he can bank on higher personal trust ratings. He wants to tell voters that he may not be their ideal choice, but nei- ther are the options on offer. So with that in mind Muscat took a good look around him and decided to save his inner circle of allies and galvanise his own 'presidential' campaign. In this strategy, Keith Schembri – who rode Labour to vic- tory in 2013 – has an irreplaceable role. The two men are inseparable. Mizzi's reconfirmation as a minister but one lacking a specific portfolio may look bizarre (he will still assist Muscat, who now takes energy under him, in complet- ing the LNG plant) but may be motivated by two main considerations. Muscat had to send a message that he has done some- thing to assuage elements within his party irked by Panamagate and he did so by re- moving Mizzi's health and energy portfo- lios. Keeping him as minister within the OPM however, Mizzi retains his 'larger than life' clout, a man who has a finger in the Cabinet pie, whose role is vaguely un- defined, and perhaps making him less di- rectly accountable to public scrutiny. The Mallia diversion And then comes Muscat's next Machi- avellian chess move, a grand act driven by Muscat's keen sense of self-preservation. Bringing Mallia back as a minister for competitiveness, a former Nationalist who in 2013 was elected for Labour from two districts, may well have been motivated by electoral considerations. Crucially, Mus- cat knew that this was a natural conse- quence to retaining Mizzi Surely Mallia's reappointment was a nat- ural consequence of retaining Mizzi. For how could Muscat keep Mallia out in the cold when Mizzi was not sacked on a far more serious and politically damaging is- sue? Even more crucial for Muscat is the fact that Mallia marshals an effective per- sonal constituency machine that can sway votes for Labour. Mallia's return reverses Muscat's sacking over the Sheehan inci- dent, one of the most embarrassing mo- ments for this government. So as Leo Brincat gets kicked up to the European Court of Auditors, Mallia now gets to reap the benefits of a ninth district (Gharghur, Swieqi, San Gwann, Msida, Ta' Xbiex) that is free of veteran MPs. And in the tenth district (Gzira, Pem- broke, St Julian's and Sliema) – where ed- ucation minister and Labour heavyweight Evarist Bartolo gets elected from apart from his 12th district home constituency – Mallia puts to good use his Nationalist pedigree. Bartolo himself has used his politically savvy to twin his own call for Mizzi's res- ignation with an attack on the financial regulator, Joseph V. Bannister, for having directorships in offshore funds registered in the Cayman Islands. He had been re- tained by Muscat in 2013 after Bartolo's fight against the regulator over the La Val- ette property fund fiasco. Again Bartolo's knives in this latest feud are targeted at Muscat as well. So it comes as no surprise that with a bolstered Mallia in the tenth district, Muscat has bolstered Bartolo's competi- tion as well. But there's an incontrovertible fact about Mallia's appointment in this entire game of political poker. Mallia is the di- version, giving people something to tut- tut about while Mizzi gets 'hidden' inside Muscat's fold. Left out of the reshuffle is Michael Fal- zon, who also contests the ninth and tenth districts. Brincat's departure knocks off another oldschool Labourite from the Cabinet. As environment minister his public perception was that of being a largely ineffective player, albeit his con- stant expression of green concerns in the Cabinet. His replacement, Jose Herrera, lacks the same deep conviction on envi- ronmental issues, but his charm might prove effective in dealing with civil soci- ety. And bereft of major environmental What led Joseph Muscat to ignore public opinion and keep Konrad Mizzi Minister and Keith Schembri as chief of staff? JAMES DEBONO asks In this strategy, Keith Schembri – who rode Labour to victory in 2013 – has an irreplaceable role. The two men are inseparable maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 MAY 2016 The Mallia What led Joseph Muscat to ignore public opinion and keep Konrad Mizzi Minister and Keith Schembri as How Muscat reshuffled the cards