So now we have it for a fact that the no-confidence motion presented by the Opposition last week will start to be debated on Monday.

And we emphasise the word start because the two sides of the House have not agreed on when the debate will end and the vote taken. Technically, with all MPs having the right to speak for one hour could effectively mean that it will take weeks for the outcome to be known.

The government is evidently procrastinating on this delicate matter, hoping that some kind of solution will have been found by the time the 69 MPs are asked to raise their hand in favour or against.

This kind of tactic is possibly counter-productive to a government which says that it wants stability, and yet takes decisions which will only serve to increase the uncertainty in the country. It is being perceived that the government wants to cling to power when it is at the same time accusing the Opposition that it is thirsty for that same power.

It would have been better to take the bull by the horns and have the vote taken in the shortest time possible. Any delay – be it days or weeks, and we are fast approaching the third week in this political crisis – will not help defuse the situation. And it could also be harmful to the country’s economy.

The government is trying to give the impression that it is business as usual. Its ministers have continued with their day-to-day work, but at the end of the day the subject matter in hand is the difficulties the government its facing following the declaration made by one of its MPs that he no longer supports the Prime Minister.

The Opposition, for its part, is seen to be too eager to ride on what Franco Debono has been saying all along. Its thirst to return to the seat of people is visible from miles away, but ultimately it is only doing its political duty. It says it wants to ensure that the government is stable, but it is clear that it just wants to go for an early election because it thinks it has an advantage at this moment in time.

All in all, this situation however is not the ideal one for Malta, especially considering the gathering economic storm around us.