Darren Carabott, Rebekah Borg And Jerome Caruana Cilia Big Winners Of PN’s New Shadow Cabinet
At first glance, it seems there are three major winners of the PN’s new Shadow Cabinet, and all are young MPs who are serving their first-ever term in Parliament.
Darren Carabott has gone from shadowing local government and public administration to shadowing home affairs and reforms, which means he will be in charge of drafting the PN’s policies with regards to the police, immigration, the prison, and national security.
He will also be expected to shadow reforms pushed forward by Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, such as in cannabis and prostitution, and may have some leeway to propose reforms of his own.
Rebekah Borg has gone from shadowing lands and consumer rights to shadowing the environment. While she will have to liaise with her colleagues shadowing portfolios like planning and transport, she will have ample opportunity to leave her mark in an issue that is on many people’s minds.
Jerome Caruana Cilia has gone from shadowing finance to shadowing the economy and enterprise. While losing the finance portfolio to Graham Bencini may be seen by some as a demotion, his new role has given him a massive opportunity if he plays his cards right.
His role has shifted from scrutinising public finances to drafting an economic vision for Malta and convincing the electorate that it is different and better than the one adopted by the PL government. It is a major responsibility that could help shape the public’s perception of the PN.
Adrian Delia
Other notable changes including Adrian Delia moving from Shadow Transport Minister to Shadow Health Minister. While this may seem like a political reward for Delia’s successful VGH court case, there is a massive difference between mounting a court case and dealing with the intricacies of the national healthcare system.
It will be interesting to see how Delia, a lawyer, handles this new role that had been occupied by Stephen Spiteri, a doctor, for the past few years. On his part, Spiteri has been shifted to social policy.
Graham Bencini has gone from shadowing sports to shadowing finance, while Mark Anthony Sammut has been shifted from energy to transport, an issue that is constantly on people’s minds. Energy has been handed to Ryan Callus, whose previous infrastructure portfolio has been given to Joe Giglio, formerly Shadow Home Affairs Minister.
Ivan Castillo has been given the cost of living portfolio, along with his previous maritime affairs portfolio and social dialogue.
Do you agree with the PN’s new Shadow Cabinet?
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