Updated - Adds PN reaction

Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said in a One Radio interview this morning that the country needs certainty that the prime minister is in a position to govern.

He said that while the prime minister called a confidence vote as soon as there was an abstention in a confidence vote on a minister (Austin Gatt) and after the vote against Carm Mifsud Bonnici was carried, he had, strangely, not followed the same pattern when matters got more serious last week, when two Nationalist MPs did not vote with the government and, it was claimed, up to 10 Nationalist MP had wished to follow suit.

Matters were bubbling within the PN while the party sought to present a façade of calm and normality.

But there was now no disputing the fact that the country was suffering from uncertainty and instability within the government.

Malta needed a strong government, especially at a time of recession, but this government was anything but, and the prime minister was focused on his own survival.

The government was in meltdown and the people and investors, as well as foreign government wanted to know what support GonziPN had in parliament to continue to govern, Dr Muscat said.

It was up to the prime minister to decide whether a fresh vote of confidence was needed last week when his government's situation worsened, he said, but Dr Gonzi's lack of coherence in having called a confidence vote when matters were less critical further fuelled uncertainty.

The prime minister's situation was untenable, Dr Muscat said, because he had himself declared that he viewed the charges made against Richard Cachia Caruana as accusations against him too. With the motion having been approved, the accusations were now a judgement. By Dr Gonzi's own yardstick, Parliament had now declared in no uncertain terms that he had let down the country.

But it looked like Dr Gonzi was not being faithful to his own interpretation. He was clinging on to power for as long as he could so that the government could dish out more favours ahead of a general election.

Following the Cachia Caruana vote, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who had voted for the opposition motion, said the prime minister did not need to call another confidence vote as he would continue to back the government.

PN REACTION

In a reaction, the PN said that while it remained focused on bread and butter issues - jobs, health, and education, and as Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was preparing to go to Brussels to ensure that Malta's financial allocation from EU funds was not reduced by some €500 million, all that Dr Muscat could think about was becoming Malta's youngest prime minister .

"Muscat continues to exploit the internal difficulties that three Nationalist MPs have created for the party with their unacceptable behaviour of voting with Labour. He wants power at all cost and will do anything to achieve his ambition," the party said.

It noted that the latest Labour Force Survey showed a rise in employment and a decline in unemployment figures.

"This is not a coincidence, but the result of sensible economic policies by the Nationalist Party in government and the resilience of Maltese workers. Jobs, health and education are bread and butter issues – and government is investing time, energy and money in these three important sectors for the benefit of workers, the self-employed and their families," the PN said.