Muscat Hints at Re-Appointing Konrad Mizzi as Minister
With great power comes great responsibility, and it is safe to guess that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has lined Konrad Mizzi in contention to secure Ministerial spoils after a tiresome tumult of proceedings since the advent of Panama data scandal. Konrad Mizzi is likely to be retained as a government minister if Joseph Muscat’s four criteria of eligibility to his Cabinet are anything to go by. The Prime Minister told PBS head of news Reno Bugeja on Dissett that he would give ministerial posts according to competence, their district vote result, and seniority.
Three criteria that could easily be applied to his former energy minister, who earned a high 4,000-plus vote count on the fourth district and delivered on Labour’s key energy policy plank. Bugeja quickly picked upon Muscat’s suggestion of how he will pick ministers, suggesting that correctness and integrity should also be part of the make-up, without expressly referring to Konrad Mizzi involvement in the Panama Papers. He responded with riddle-some fascination, stating that, “I think it is obvious that someone has to be correct, but they also have to be like-minded on policies.”
Muscat actually suggested that “a series of permutations” could lead to ministers no longer being part of the Cabinet – a veiled reference to the magisterial inquiry dealing with an FIAU report on offshore companies held by Konrad Mizzi and the PM’s chief of staff Keith Schembri. A fourth criteria he mentioned was geographical distribution, suggesting Muscat will have to pick one of the newly elected MP's and promote them to minister to spread the executive power over the rest of the island. The Prime Minister also declared he will not contest another general election campaign.
Signalling that Labour is now scheduled for a new appointment for a leadership election before 2022. Muscat said it will be Labour delegates who will choose the country’s deputy prime minister when they will elect a new deputy leader for parliamentary affairs following Louis Grech’s decision not to contest the 2017 elections. Grech will be retained as a consultant to Muscat. Amidst speculations of an inspirational developmental surge under the standing government, it might not come as a shock to most people when the Labour Party returns triumphant in the next general elections. The truth be told, prospects are quite exciting!
Three criteria that could easily be applied to his former energy minister, who earned a high 4,000-plus vote count on the fourth district and delivered on Labour’s key energy policy plank. Bugeja quickly picked upon Muscat’s suggestion of how he will pick ministers, suggesting that correctness and integrity should also be part of the make-up, without expressly referring to Konrad Mizzi involvement in the Panama Papers. He responded with riddle-some fascination, stating that, “I think it is obvious that someone has to be correct, but they also have to be like-minded on policies.”
Muscat actually suggested that “a series of permutations” could lead to ministers no longer being part of the Cabinet – a veiled reference to the magisterial inquiry dealing with an FIAU report on offshore companies held by Konrad Mizzi and the PM’s chief of staff Keith Schembri. A fourth criteria he mentioned was geographical distribution, suggesting Muscat will have to pick one of the newly elected MP's and promote them to minister to spread the executive power over the rest of the island. The Prime Minister also declared he will not contest another general election campaign.
Signalling that Labour is now scheduled for a new appointment for a leadership election before 2022. Muscat said it will be Labour delegates who will choose the country’s deputy prime minister when they will elect a new deputy leader for parliamentary affairs following Louis Grech’s decision not to contest the 2017 elections. Grech will be retained as a consultant to Muscat. Amidst speculations of an inspirational developmental surge under the standing government, it might not come as a shock to most people when the Labour Party returns triumphant in the next general elections. The truth be told, prospects are quite exciting!
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