The world markets are in a state of freefall, the G20 is at a loss over what to do, Germany’s Angela Merkel is warning that it will take at least a decade for the eurozone to get itself out of the mess it is in. Malta is not only a member of this eurozone, but its economy is intrinsically linked to the welfare of the eurozone and EU countries, and the prospects are not rosy by any stretch of the imagination.

Were the situation not so serious, it would be comical: On Friday, two European governments faced motions of no confidence – one in Malta and one in Greece. Both ran the risk of destabilising their respective countries and neither motion passed but for a narrow margin.

But that is just about where the similarities end.

In Greece, the world and its markets were hinged on that crucial stability vote, and the Greek government narrowly won the day.

In Malta, the people were hinged on the vote of a single MP who chose what many consider to have been a purely populist Opposition motion on the public transport reform as his soapbox, and the Maltese government narrowly won the day.

But it does not stop there, not in Greece or in Malta. Next week the Greek government will attempt to seek a political solution to its economic crisis, a crisis that threatens to ruin not only the economy of that country, but also the eurozone economy along with it.

And next week the Maltese government will face a confidence vote called by its own Prime Minister.

That the Prime Minister threw down the gauntlet after Friday’s vote on Austin Gatt comes as little surprise. A bold move like that was needed to quell the ever-growing anti-government sentiment out there, to attempt to instil faith in the way things are being run.

He will also need to prove that his parliamentary group is intact and that it is all playing for the right side following the recent actions of two of his MPs – Jeffery Pullicino Orlando, who famously defied the party’s stance on divorce, and Franco Debono, who on Friday abstained from the vote and effectively threw his party into further disarray.

But over and above such considerations is the economy, upon which all of our livelihoods depend. With the Greek government up against the ropes and with so much hanging on a harmonious conclusion to the current discord, the last thing Europe needs is to have yet another government in crisis. Even more so, it is the last thing that this country needs. As such, any perceived lack of confidence in the government could not have come at such a worse time.

Political stability is a key factor that foreign investors, credit rating agencies and other economic movers and shakers, both current and prospective, keep a continuous eye on. At this point in time, when the Greek economy is melting and as companies continue to restructure after the worst of the recession, or at least what we hope was the worst, they can change their minds at the drop of a hat.

A successful vote next week will restore stability in the eyes of many and it is crucial that the message is signed, sealed and delivered to the country, Europe and the world.

Many people this week were under the false impression that a vote in favour of the Opposition’s motion could have brought the government down. While that was clearly not the case on Friday that is exactly what could happen if the Prime Minister’s countermotion does not receive the majority of votes.

If, for some reason, the motion fails to pass, the price to be paid will be very high indeed. And that price would come in the form of a snap election – that is the last thing the country, or either of its political parties, really need at this particular point in time.

It is doubtful that will happen on Tuesday, with the usual suspects within the PN’s parliamentary group having pretty much declared they will vote with the government on this one, and the Prime Minister must have known that on Friday when he lodged the motion.

There is no doubt that the efficient running of the public transport system is of paramount importance but, as we said last week, if the workings of the public transport system had not been changed following public outcries, five tome over in fact, it would be a case for the minister responsible to have resigned. Not, as in this case, when the honing of the system has been an ongoing affair since practically day one.

And in the middle of all this we have a Maltese finance minister who, it seems, will have to absent himself from the second day of a crucial meeting of EU finance ministers on Greece this week so as to ensure he is present in Parliament for the confidence vote on Tuesday.

If this is not a clear enough sign that we really need to get our priorities straight, then we do not know what would be.