It was business as usual for government ministers and parliamentary secretaries who have been officially placed “on notice” by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, after warning last Sunday that their places were not guaranteed should the government be re-elected.
After failing to change a single minister in the past three and a half years, Gonzi has hinted he intends to change his team after the next election in a clear attempt to defuse criticism on his failure to enact a reshuffle. “Even those ministers who are very popular with the electorate have no guarantee,” he said.
One of those popular ministers, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, elected on two districts in 2003, stated he is in “perfect agreement” with Gonzi. “It is positive that the Prime Minister will be making all his choices after listening the people’s verdict,” Zammit Dimech said.
Asked whether the declaration could influence voters in their choice between new and established candidates, Zammit Dimech was adamant that this was not the PM’s intention. “It was surely not the PM’s intention to do that and surely it will not have such an effect.”
Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett, who was kept in his post by Gonzi despite having submitted his resignation, said the choice of ministers was always the Prime Minister’s “constitutional prerogative” – a sentiment echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg, Communication Minister Censu Galea, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, Environment Minister George Pullicino and Health Minister Louis Deguara.
According to Deguara, whose portfolio was one of the few to change after the Mater Dei migration was taken over by parliamentary secretary for finance Tonio Fenech, “nobody has a permanent post in the Cabinet.”
Environment Minister George Pullicino and Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg added that “whatever the Prime Minister decides will certainly be beneficial to the country.”
All ministers contacted by MaltaToday also agreed that the PM’s declaration was not intended to influence voters over their choice of candidates. “A candidate’s accessibility is the most important thing for voters in an election,” Mugliett said.
Censu Galea simply said the “electorate is intelligent enough to deturcide,” and foreign minister Michael Frendo added that “people should vote on the basis of a candidate’s track record not on popularity.”
And while Deguara reminded voters that “we are one government and not a bunch of ministers”, the parliamentary secretary Edwin Vassallo said he was not in the least surprised by the PM’s declaration. “Do you think there is anything strange in this? This is perfectly normal because when the election approaches everyone is on notice, not just from the Prime Minister but also from the people… the whole government is on notice. The same applies to the Opposition and all MPs.”
And for parliamentary secretary Tony Abela, being on notice “is in effect the number one rule from day one of taking office.” To that, parliamentary secretary Helen D’Amato said the junior ministers “are always ‘on notice’ hence such roles are not taken for granted.”
She also thinks the electorate will primarily vote for a government that has given progress and stability, and “as always will have a wide choice of candidates to choose from.”
No answers were received at the time of going to print by ministers Louis Galea, Austin Gatt, Giovanna Debono, Ninu Zammit, Dolores Cristina and parliamentary secretaries Tonio Fenech and Frans Agius.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt