Franco Debono said this morning that the current political crisis may be resolved if the prime minister starts getting advice from the right people.

"There could be a solution on the lines I have been saying, however I am afraid that the prime minister is yet again being held hostage by bad counsel from people who should be the ones to resign instead of continuing, at this delicate stage, to advise the prime minister, putting their egoistic self-interest before the continuation of this government."

Dr Debono said the people he was referring to were well known to all.

He insisted that he could not comment on the brief meeting he had yesterday with Dr Gonzi at Castille.

Last week he said the situation could be resolved if the prime minister or the 'clique' responsible for the current situation, stepped down.

"Since the issue is the clique and the general overwhelming public sentiment, even of Nationalists, is that they are fed up of the oligarchy clique, then in my humble opinion, the prime minister should not be taking advice from them. They are putting their self interest before anything else

"Their supreme consideration appears to be shifting the blame which they should be shouldering, and not the well-being of the government."

Such people, he insisted, should have shouldered their responsibilities months ago.

"The prime minister should realise that people who have failed are not in a position to advise him," Dr Debono insisted. 

"He should detach himself from them. The situation has degenerated because of bad decisions and it will not be resolved if the same people are taking decisions or giving him advise."

In the past Dr Debono has been highly critical of Transport Minister Austin Gatt, Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and members of Dr Gonzi's own secretariat.

In comments to timesofmalta.com this morning Dr Debono highlighted issues he has been campaigning about.

"The high utility bills are not the result of oil prices but the result of years of neglect and failure to diversify our energy resources. Has anyone shouldered responsibility for this or do the people now have to bear the brunt and pay these high tariffs? This mismanagement is clearly crystallised in the fact that in 2012 we are going to operate a power station extension in Delimara using highly polluting and harmful heavy fuel oil. Who has shouldered responsibility for this?

"I have protested and continue to protest over the use of heavy fuel oil in the Delimara power station, and urge yet again the use of cleaner fuel and possible gas. This issue has cost this country months of useless controversy which is still ongoing when this time could have been better used on more important debates such as constitutional reforms including better law courts, a stronger parliament, more accountability ministers, updated libel laws, a more efficient Broadcasting Authority, updated electoral laws among various others."

Air Malta, he said, was a similar case. Years of mismanagement, lack of accountability and no one shouldering responsibility now meant that the most vulnerable - the workers - would have to pay for the failures of others. These people were the sacrificial lambs.  

Dr Debono observed that while some people within the PN were being conciliatory, the attitude of others led one to think that they had some vested interest to see the situation not being resolved.

He pointed out that in comments he had made before the reshuffle was announced, he had said that he would not  support a prime minister who was held hostage by a  clique of a restricted  coterie.

"This was before the reshuffle and this has to do with democracy and a country that belongs to all and not just a few. This has absolutely nothing to do with me becoming a minister,  as some are trying to portray." 

Dr Debono said he knew that there were people within the parliamentary group who were appealing to the prime minister for reason to prevail and to be careful to take advice from the right people.

(According to sources, some elements within the PN want the current situation with Dr Debono to be resolved, while others do not think that the PN will win an election in a year's time and therefore think it would be better to go to the polls in the current situation.) 

Dr Debono confirmed that he has been invited to today's meeting of the PN parliamentary group and a meeting of the party's executive, saying that this showed that the resignation he had submitted months ago - without making it public at the time - was still not accepted.