While the country is ablaze as developments in connection with the police investigations into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia come by the hour, a timid notice appeared on the social media requesting public participation in the lighting up of a Christmas tree in Valletta.

The activity was planned more or less for the same time that protesters were gathering – also in the capital city – to vent their anger, especially towards the Prime Minister, for not shouldering his political responsibility and moving out of Castille.

The day when this Christmas tree was going to be lit up by the Valletta Cultural Agency was the same day that saw the resignation of Keith Schembri from the post of OPM chief of staff, followed a few hours later by that of Minister Konrad Mizzi, while another Cabinet member, Chris Cardona, chose the rather bizarre way of “suspending himself”, which is a situation that even the brightest minds find hard to explain.

That day will now be referred to as Black Tuesday for Muscat’s government, or 17 Black Tuesday, if one wants to be more precise. That the Christmas tree was not lit up that day was only because of the power cut and we have yet to hear for when the event has been rescheduled.

What is sure is that, after two very eventful weeks in November, we are heading into yet another December of turmoil. As more and more details emerge on the plot to assassinate Caruana Galizia, it is unlikely that the raging situation will calm down anytime soon.

Heads have started to roll, from the political standpoint. But others should follow suit, in particular Joseph Muscat, who cannot disassociate himself from what is happening. He should go too. There have been countless times when Muscat defended the indefensible, and now he has to pay the price for it.

In the previous legislature, Muscat forced the resignation of Manwel Mallia and Michael Falzon for what people under their responsibility had done. He had called it being accountable. Now that his former chief of staff, his right hand man, is embroiled in this situation Muscat must use the same yardstick on himself.

Apart from the political angle, the police will continue their investigations to unravel the web that led to the heinous crime, and will also look into other facets in the whole scenario, such as any corrupt deals that people in power may have been part of. At the time of writing, no-one has been taken to court, and it seems that the police want to learn as many details as possible before taking matters further.

And so we are expecting another December of turmoil – and it will not be the first. Let us not forget that two of the worst crimes ever to be committed were in December too: the murder of Karin Grech on 28 December, 1977, and the murder of Raymond Caruana, on 5 December, 1986. Both those murders had political connections.

Those two killings remain unsolved right to this day, and the family and friends of the two innocent victims are still calling for justice too.

Let us do hope that what is unravelling now will ultimately lead to full justice in the Caruana Galizia case.