Gonzi to enlarge Cabinet with Beppe as Austin’s junior
A close aide to the Prime Minister has said Lawrence Gonzi is considering appointing Beppe Fenech Adami as a parliamentary secretary in Austin Gatt’s ministry for Investments, Transport and Communications.
Today the Prime Minister will be announcing that he intends enlarging his Cabinet after being criticised internally for keeping too many people out of the loop.
The decision to make the Cabinet bigger is motivated by the Gonzi’s desire to send out the message that he is listening to the electorate’s concerns.
However the appointments will do little to uplift the public’s confidence in the government. Many government critics are more concerned about bread and butter issues.
The appointment of Beppe Fenech Adami is also being seen as a move to allay internal disgruntlement.
The son of the former President and long-time leader of the Nationalist party Eddie Fenech Adami, Beppe is seen as a continuation of the Fenech Adami legacy. He lacks his father’s charisma and his political mind, but he is considered to be a moderate and unifying character.
His appointment would woo many Fenech Adami die-hards who have felt the party has drifted too apart in recent years and that it is less cohesive than in the Fenech Adami years.
Beppe Fenech Adami has also worked with Austin Gatt when the latter was secretary-general in the party. His assistance in Gatt’s super-ministry will relieve some of the pressure from Gatt, who himself has come under internal criticism for his antics and hard-nosed policies.
It is not known when Dr Gonzi will announce the appointments, but he would be expected to do so before the summer parliamentary recess.
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