One of the Labour Party’s biggest problems of credibility is its deputy leader Anglu Farrugia – and it’s not only because of his position as a police inspector at a time when the police force was nothing to be proud of, to put it mildly.

The Labour Party’s unwillingness to state the policies it will follow if and when elected, and how, for one thing, it will reduce the water and electricity rates, competes for the top place with Dr Farrugia, but let’s leave that for a moment.

Last Tuesday, the government faced a vote of confidence. It was the third time in post-war history that a Prime Minister made the move himself, asking for the House’s confirmation that the government could continue to carry out its work.

Some have argued that this was just a gimmick, as there was never any risk that the government could topple, once PN MP Franco Debono had declared he would have supported the PM’s motion.

But it was still a risk. The Nationalist Party was on its knees when, the previous Friday, Dr Debono chose to abstain on an Opposition call for the resignation of Transport Minister Austin Gatt, and the motion was defeated only thanks to the Speaker’s casting vote.

It was a testing time for the government. Earlier that day, the same Dr Debono had filed a private member’s motion in Parliament to launch a discussion on justice and home affairs, again taking the government and party he represents by surprise.

For once, radio stations last Tuesday were tuned in to the Parliament channel to find out what was happening at the Palace, and whether we would still have a government in place at the end of the day.

I am told that when Dr Debono raised his hand before the vote to explain his position, the other MPs on his side collectively held their breath, while those on the Opposition benches sat up.

The emotions were very different. The PN MPs feared Dr Debono had changed his mind at the last minute, while their political opponents were already imagining themselves being sworn in as ministers. In the end, Dr Debono stuck to his word and voted with the government.

This is not to say that everything has been sorted out in the government and Nationalist Party ranks. The waters may have calmed down, and the vote did give a measure of stability, but when matters go as far as they did on Tuesday, it is hard to imagine that it is business as usual.

But what happened the day after the vote of confidence was taken?

The newspapers all carried the news on their front pages, and carried extensive reports on what had taken place the night before. It was as close as we could get to a repeat situation of what had happened in September 1998, with the roles reversed.

And yet the main subject of discussion was Anglu Farrugia’s dismal performance on Bondiplus, which followed the vote of confidence, and the embarrassment he caused to his party. Franco Debono’s star immediately faded, and Anglu Farrugia quickly replaced him as the hottest topic on the island.

It’s not only because of his way of saying “task force” – he put the ‘k’ before the ‘s’ in his pronunciation – that became the joke of the day, so much so that even Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who normally does not allow himself such jibes, took a dig at the Labour deputy leader.

Neither is it because of the record – pun intended – he must have established by repeating the phrase “on the record” 12 times in 45 seconds, and another six times in 20 seconds a few minutes later – a big sign of how uncomfortable he was feeling.

It was because Dr Farrugia’s inability to be coherent in the answers he tried to give to Lou Bondi emerged clearly – and very much “on the record”, since the programme is one of the most watched in the country.

At times he did not know what he was talking about. Those who sought some guidance on what Labour is all for found a party deputy leader who was not able to string together a sentence, let alone explain what the Labour Party plans to do if it is elected.

Lou Bondi rightly pointed out that Dr Farrugia could have been Deputy Prime Minister that night, if the Prime Minister’s motion had been defeated. But Dr Farrugia did not inspire any confidence in those who were watching. I do not think that any floating voter decided to vote Labour last Tuesday.

On the night when Labour should have emerged stronger after the government faced such a stern test, the government’s instability and the Nationalist Party’s internal problems were quickly forgotten as Labour’s attempt to be seen as a credible alternative government went down the drain in just 25 minutes.

What Joseph Muscat has been painstakingly building in his three-and-a-half years as PL leader was thrown out the window by his own right-hand man.

Anglu Farrugia even messed up over who is the minister responsible for SmartCity, thinking that it had been removed from Austin Gatt’s portfolio.

This brings me to the decision the Labour Party has taken to keep its cards close to its chest and not reveal what it plans to do if elected to government. After his living wage proposal was shot down, Joseph Muscat chose to keep everything secret in order to avoid the same backlash. Many said he was doing the right thing, others argued that he should be more forthcoming, raising questions whether the Labour Party really does have something brewing.

Anglu Farrugia’s stammering and incoherence has added to the doubts that the Labour Party is prepared to take over the country’s administration. And, quite frankly, the Party’s cause has not been helped either by Joseph Muscat constantly repeating that Labour has clear and concrete proposals – without revealing what they are.

All this, by the way, is on the record.

[email protected]