It all started with a letter which Labour MP Adrian Vassallo sent to this newspaper, announcing that he was calling it a day in politics.

Dr Vassallo said he felt that being conservative, he had no place in the Labour Party’s Progressive Movement. He said he wrote to his party leader and when he received no reply, he concluded that he was more of an embarrassment than an asset to the party which he had served for 16 years.

Dr Vassallo was the only Labour MP to vote against the introduction of divorce legislation and had also raised eyebrows in parliament when he spoke about the availability of porn channels in local hotels.

The MP said he had served the party and his constituents to the best of his ability and would therefore like to bow out if there was no place for him in ‘new Labour’. Agree or disagree with Dr Vassallo’s views on various issues, one must commend him for having the courage of his convictions and deciding to step aside – albeit with a parting barb aimed at leader Joseph Muscat.

Meanwhile, a reaction to the story was published in this newspaper yesterday as perhaps the most unlikely support came in the form of a tribute by Government MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. Using his Facebook wall, Dr Pullicino Orlando moved to praise opposition MP Adrian Vassallo after his decision to call time on politics. The PN backbencher, who has already announced that he will not be contesting the next general election, was the person who pushed the divorce question after having tabled a private members bill in parliament. He subsequently became one of the faces that was synonymous with the Iva Movement.

Dr Pullicino Orlando noted that both Dr Vassallo and himself were elected for the first time in 1996.  “Though we have diametrically opposed views on a number of issues I respect him for his sincerity. It is always wise to exit gracefully at the appropriate moment with your head held high rather than to cling on to power, come what may,” Dr Pullicino Orlando said. It is clear that Dr Pullicino Orlando’s comments were sincere, but again we note the poisonous barb at the end – which is so obviously directed at Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Many people say that politicians are nice people and say they do what they do to serve their constituents. But even in an innocuous and genuine story such as this, we can see that there is always an element of slyness and back-stabbing. Both politicians, trying to do an ‘honourable’ thing, end up manipulating the situation to have a go at their respective party leaders.

That is a symptom of why politics is in the sorry state it is today. Leadership is weak all round. A sense of duty and service have gone out of the window, and it is all about “me”. As one of the greatest political orators puts it: “Men decide far more problems by hate, love, lust, rage, sorrow, joy, hope, fear, illusion, or some other inward emotion, than by reality, authority, any legal standard, judicial precedent, or statute” – Marcus Tullius Cicero.