A day is a long time in politics – this has never rung truer.

From the daily filth coming through the courts to the circus that the Nationalist Party has become, the entire country has been held captive for years now to a script that beggars belief.

There was a time when a bus stopping in the middle of the road made headline news. When politics had become so ordinary it stepped into the shadows of our lives. Not anymore.

This country has been subject to a ‘political high’ for the last decade and not for the right reasons. Our political class has dragged us through the mud for far too long. This is no longer about which party leads the country. It’s about integrity and as the French philosopher Albert Camus stated, “Integrity has no need of rules.”

There is no doubt that both parties have let the country down spectacularly. The assassination of a journalist epitomizes the complete failure of the state. Political division and hatred have permeated every aspect of society. Manipulation of minds and hearts has only compounded an already dire situation.

Yet like a lighthouse on a foggy day, 19 Members of Parliament gave us a flicker of hope. As the Nationalist Party on life support made it through another day, its MPs had finally had enough. For those that thought this was the end, they were mistaken. There is no way that Adrian Delia will go down without a fight and this was evident from the start.

His persistent denial will not only bring the party to a cliff’s edge but also the country. For there has never been a more important time for this country to have an effective and strong opposition. The Government has to be held to account for transforming this stable nation into a hotbed of corruption and scandals.

Delia has made effort to fight corrupt deals, but he has wasted even more time on pointless firefighting within his own party.

The Opposition’s ineffectiveness has only served to aid and abet the rampant corruption and lack of justice in Malta.

Now, MPs have proposed Therese Comodini Cachia to replace Delia as Opposition Leader.

Is she the defibrillator the PN needs? Will she be able to steer the parliamentary group through as yet unchartered waters? Will this be the beginning of something new? Will she restore hope where all has been seemingly lost?

What is certain is that she is smart, articulate and determined with political experience in the EU as well as locally. She is a politician to be reckoned with. There is no doubt that the parliamentary group wanted to send a strong message and a very strong one indeed.

We are listening and will keep listening for, after all, this nation is not asking for much. We want a political class that reminds itself every day that they are elected to make our lives better and not the other way round. This is a reasonable request and what this country deserves.