That a strong Opposition equals a strong democracy is a time-honoured and undisputed truth. But we have to say that since the March 2013 election, by and large, with the exception of a handful of episodes, the Nationalist Party in Opposition has been somewhat lacking.

Granted, it had come out strong on some issues - such as the great citizenship-for-sale debate, and the dangers potentially posed by the floating storage unit that is meant to accompany the new power station at Delimara, to name but two.

But when the government began accusing the Opposition of negativity, as opposed to the Labour Party's self-professed 'positive energy', the Opposition appeared to have slunk back into its shell, fearful of being branded as the eternal naysayers in contrast with the government's 'can-do' attitude.

Perhaps that was a tactical retreat, or maybe it was a mere knee-jerk reaction. But the fact of the matter is that the Opposition has been, on the whole, cautious - almost to a fault.

That is understandable in a way. The Opposition was and is probably still reeling from the staggering electoral defeat at the polls to this very day; its party and its finances were in disarray, the party had a new leader and the party's compass had, quite evidently, gone haywire for some time - unsure of its stances and unsure of its footing.

That, now, appears to have changed.

In an interview in today's issue, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil takes the Prime Minister and energy minister to task by saying they should make good on their word to resign, as they had pledged, both before and after the last general election, should the new Delimara power station not be completed by next March.

During those weeks of heavy campaigning back in early 2013, the Labour Party had said time and again that the new power station was essential to its pledge to reduce tariffs for households and businesses alike. As such, the Prime Minister's explanation for the delay, that the new power station is not necessarily essential to reducing tariffs, now beggars belief.

It may seem like yet more political hyperbole, but an Opposition leader calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister and one of his top ministers is a serious matter indeed. Also, the fact remains that both gentlemen had stuck their necks out way too far by pledging that they would resign should they fail to meet the objective - whether they believed in that pledge at the time or not.

Now the energy minister has made it clear that the project will not be completed in the stipulated timeframe and, while we do not necessarily believe that they should fall on their swords over the matter, we do believe that the public deserves a better explanation on the timelines and on how it intends paying for next March's tariff cut for businesses than those the government is currently feeding the public.

In the Prime Minister's book, the government's energy plan and the pledge to reduce energy tariffs for industry next March did not exclusively depend on the completion of the power station project. But that was not the point, was it? The crystal clear point is that they had both unequivocally stated they would resign should the power station not be completed within the government's self-stipulated timeframe. This is an issue the government urgently needs to address, perhaps more so now that the Opposition leader has called on them to make good on their word.

Dr Busuttil has also found a new stride in his approach to the John Dalli affair and the breach of parliamentary privilege complaint he is facing. This stance, however, is not a new one and he has been claiming political interference in the appointment of a new police commissioner and the dropping of charges against Mr Dalli for some time now. But, despite the breach of parliamentary 'trial' he is undergoing, he is sticking to his claims, saying he is not scared of either John Dalli's threats or the 'trial' before the privileges committee.

In so doing, he has done what no other Nationalist Party leader has been able to do before, for one reason or another. He has taken on Mr Dalli, a person who had previously been virtually untouchable. Whether right or wrong, Dr Busuttil is ready and willing to call a spade a spade, as he should.

This Opposition leader appears to be finding his stride and in so doing, his stature will grow, as will his arguments - along with those of his parliamentary group - and, at the end of the day, democracy will be better served in this country.

It is the Opposition's sacrosanct role, and its duty, to criticise the government - as the Labour Party had done so well while in Opposition not too long ago - and negativity should not even factor into the equation. This is about one of the most fundamental checks and balances in any democracy and it is reassuring that the Opposition appears to be, at long last, taking the gloves off.