He may have thought that by producing his Form 2 report card to prove his mettle was a wise move but Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono’s odd decision has produced derision rather than sympathy.

The report card incident, which happened when a TVM crew went to interview the MP at his Għaxaq home on Friday evening, went viral on the internet, becoming the butt of many jokes.

Instead of giving the TVM journalist an interview, Dr Debono asked the crew to film his impressive St Aloysius Form 2 half yearly results in 1987.

During a press conference yesterday, Dr Debono explained that he produced the report card to show that he always took things seriously. The choice of the year, 1987, also marked the time when the Nationalist Party first made it to government after 16 years of Labour rule.

But the meek explanation has done nothing to clear matters for people who cannot see the link between the issues at stake today – and they are very big issues involving the government’s stability – and a 12-year-old’s report card.

Suffice to say that many people on Facebook posted their own secondary school report cards, asking the Prime Minister to take note and consider them for aCabinet post.

And with Dr Debono having obtained top marks in religion, one commentator even urged the MP to become a priest instead.

Others took the liberty to compare their own results with Dr Debono’s to prove that they were better placed for a ministerial post.

In the meantime, several others poured scorn on the backbencher’s Facebook page, while an online petition demanding his resignation had attracted hundreds of signatures by last night.