Why Carmelo, and not the others?

This morning I was having an espresso at Cordina. I was approached by an irate Franco Debono, and in the presence of others, he said that he was pleased to hear that Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici would step down as Leader of the House.

I asked him the million dollar question: Would he vote with the Labour motion? 

"Ma tarax, mhux ser nivvota maghhom" ('Can't you see that I will not vote with them?').

When I pressed him over what exactly he would do, he smiled. "Quote me on this, quote me on this," he said.

Franco Debono is a master of the monologue. He told me he was very hurt at the way I had attacked him. I picked up the phone and informed the MaltaToday newsroom what he had just said.

I know that when he entered parliament soon after, he was seen talking to Joseph Muscat. I can just imagine that Muscat must have asked him about the MaltaToday online story.

All I know is that soon afterwards, The Times were contacted by Debono. They then said that Debono had told them that he would not vote with government (MaltaToday said that he would not vote for the Labour motion).

There are two different versions, and the truth is that in both cases, Debono failed to say what he will do.

I phoned the other person who had sat with me and heard and witnessed Debono and asked him whether I had been hallucinating about what Debono had told me. He said that he was certain that Debono had said that he was not voting for the Labour motion.

Why can't Franco Debono just come clean and say what he is going to do? Later on, Debono phoned me and insisted that I had misunderstood him. I asked point blank what he was going to do when it came to vote.

He said that I would have to wait until tonight. 'Just impossible' would be an understatement.

When I think about Debono's relentless attack on Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, I can understand his primary concerns. But I can't help but wonder: why the focus on Mifsud Bonnici? There are other ministers who have shortcomings, which are simply unforgivable.

The first to come to mind is George Pullicino - the father of the ODZ schemes and the mother of all our planning problems.  We have Dolores Cristina, an affable minister but one who has proven beyond any doubt her lack of vigour in reforming our education system.  Then there is Austin Gatt, the minister who gave birth to the public transport reform and captained the electricity and water tariffs.

And what shall we say about Tonio Fenech, and his scandalous episodes? I imagine the list of ministerial failings to be endless.

And yet, Debono has chosen to focus on Mifsud Bonnici, who has stubbornly stood his ground and showed us that he has no self-respect in the face of so much criticism.

But what Debono has achieved with the blessing of both Lawrence Gonzi and Joseph Muscat is prove just how both parties cannot see through his antics. When tonight he decides to abstain - as he is expected to do - he would have nailed the last nail in his coffin of credibility.

But he would have also lampooned the two political leaders. Lawrence Gonzi, for having proven to us that he loves power more than his love for the smooth administration of this government. And Joseph Muscat, for having been led to believe that Debono would bring down his own government.

This country needs to attend to its urgent needs. 

When Debono abstains tonight, we must start focusing on the real immediate needs of this country. 

We should only talk about change before the next general elections. Before that, we (the media) are duty bound to debate the urgent issues that need tackling, and start ignoring those who have wasted precious time for all the players involved.