This publication takes no pleasure in calling out Mabon ap Gwynfor just weeks after to was appointed as out Minister for Health.

We do so, however, by necessity. The political silence is deafening, as we note on our front page. He's missing in action. And we just see inaction.

Are we impatient? No.

When Mabon sat on the opposition benches in the smaller Cardiff Bay Senedd , he was a vocal advocate for change. His comments on stroke services and the challenges faced by the Hywel Dda University Health Board were clear, forceful and welcome.

He told us he had “grave concerns” about proposals that could lead to “real harm” on stroke care. He said every minute counts, and that rehabilitation is vital to recovery. He said Bronglais should be viewed as “a solution, not a problem”.

Those statements mattered. His support mattered. They gave campaigners hope that a senior Plaid Cymru figure understood the geography, the anxieties and the practical realities facing families across mid Wales. They suggested that if power ever came within reach, Bronglais would have a champion at the heart of government.

Now, Mabon is there. at the heart of government. But our champion seems to have lost his voice.

Campaigners who asked him to intervene did not even receive a direct reply from him, but a carefully worded response from the Welsh Government machine. Its message was familiar: this is a matter for the health board.

That may be procedurally convenient, but it is politically inadequate.

Ministers cannot raise public expectations in opposition, then hide behind process once they hold office.

If Mabon’s grave concerns were sincere last October, residents are entitled to know whether they still stand. If they no longer do, he should explain why.

If new evidence has changed his view, he should say so. Silence is not enough.

No one disputes that health boards must plan services safely and sustainably. Stroke care needs specialist cover, consistent standards and robust clinical evidence.

Mid and west Wales needs decision-makers who understand and fight for rural Wales.

Mabon used to.

Now? We just don't know.