One of the major obstacles that held Labour back in the past and recent present was the spectre of violence, rule by thugs and criminals and a general threat to our security and peace of mind brought about by a disregard of the law.

This perception had to be tackled for Labour to stand a chance at persuading disgruntled Nationalist voters and moderate Socialists that their now accustomed way of life would be safe and sound under the new government and they could put their mind at rest that this was a new Labour, shed of its past misdemeanours, although no apology was ever made.

This is where Mallia became the cornerstone for Muscat's rehabilitation. An ideally positioned person who had a high status amongst thieves, dealers and thugs and city folk who especially longed for recognition. At his command the dogs could stop fighting and barking and come to heel, although some still needed a leash.

What Mallia was able to do, in Muscat's mind, was to gentrify the reds and turn them to blue. Muscat needed this badly. He knew he had an image problem that was hard to dislodge but with his new sidekick he had a makeover in his hands. A few clichés and a grand argument about how Enemalta was to blame for all our economic woes and a never heard before solution for the power station were enough to seal the deal. All fears and phobias were banished and Labour was legit again. Victory was theirs.

The first thing Muscat tells us on winning the election is that we do not need to lock ourselves indoors because there will be no carcades full of drunken thugs or sick programmes on TV. He has his commander Mallia to assure the crowds in the coliseum that they can now sit back and enjoy power like never before and need not even bother to show up in carcades. There are better things to do from day one and so much to catch up with. Having given Mallia the sway over the Police Force, the Army and the Prison, Justice and the National Broadcasting, all that was left for Muscat to do was to appear in the role of Prime Minister and focus on the selling of passports.

With the passing of time, however, things became a bit more complicated than that. The new voters who had been lured over by the stunt of the Mallia stand-in, began to be uncomfortable with the open attitude of camaraderie between the criminal world and its new Minister. All the wielding of power was leading us right back to where Labour had left off and very fast too. Things were getting out of hand, but there was nothing that the Prime Minister could do now. In fact, the situation was even worse than ever because those very elements that were supposed to be suppressed and organised to work within their boundaries, now answered to another master and that master was not Joseph.

As things continued to escalate with Mallia defying all warnings, the dogs are let out. And who do they take down? Their own master. So accustomed had Muscat become to just letting Mallia do his own thing and manage all affairs of state, that a phone call advising him of an incident involving his Minister's driver, involving gunshots and third parties, did not even register with him. He went to bed. And he does not even know what time that was.

So, not recognising the gravity of the situation and assuming that this really was not his problem to handle, Muscat calls later for an inquiry into the matter, gaining time for Mallia to shut up all the dogs and be done. This area is not his at all and there is no way he is getting involved in whatever it is that has become such a nuisance. income.

But then, Labour has been missing from the scene for 25 years so it cannot be blamed for not being in sync with the public opinion. Many of Labour's voter lobbies have come forward for their cake and received it. They have been appeased. But this particular segment was not one that Muscat was too familiar with. It was, in fact, more of Mallia's territory than his. No more violence or incompetence, the public were told. Accountability, transparence, good management, meritocracy will bring about the change people sought.

Then we get Hello 112 and we cannot even find the tunnels, let alone build a bridge to Gozo. Two, three, five, six, 12 or how many tapes later and the next thing we know is that after having served as waiters, our police force are now also delivering pizza Capricciosa.

Muscat fails to appease the very voters who put him there. This is not in the well-thumbed Tagħna Lkoll handbook. Mallia is the king pin who cannot be removed without it all falling apart. Ultimately, his Chief of Staff does it for him and he heads for the bunker.

Who will be vetting all those passports now? Who will the Libyans turn to for refuge? Where will the drug money go? To whom will those anxious supporters turn for Tagħna lkoll transfers? In whose hands the army? Does one dare to speak of the failures of the PN now?

The plan has come undone. They could have managed without the power station being built or God knows how many passports being sold. But to set fire under the very same fears of the past and burn all trust in the leader can only send people running back to the beginning.

And this is just the beginning.