Former Nationalist minister Michael Falzon deserves credit for his frank comments following the Prime Minister's press conference after the Nationalist Party's defeat in the European Parliament elections (The Sunday Times, June 14).
His straight-forward assessment is that "the Labour Party successfully turned the election into a referendum on Lawrence Gonzi's performance in government, and the result is too damning to ignore".
He thinks the government 'lost the plot' and that it is unhealthy for the PN to comfort itself by claiming that, this time round, Labour garnered fewer votes than at the 2008 general election.
The reality is that in 2008 the Nationalist electoral majority consisted of 1,581 votes. This time, Labour's overall majority is not wafer-thin - the winning margin runs to 35,431 votes. This electoral verdict triggered an inquest within the PN that overflowed into the public forum. Some vehement comments have been aired and fingers have been pointed at certain politicians.
Fouling the political hotbed serves no constructive purpose. What is needed is clear analysis.
Mr Falzon offered some constructive input. He suggested that "the coterie at Castille running the show for Dr Gonzi are set in their ways: barring the infusion of fresh blood, it is impossible for them to shrug off their forma mentis and start thinking on different lines".
He thinks that the weakest link in the government structure is not the weakest minister, but the weakest of the Prime Minister's advisers. Mr Falzon claims that "what must be changed immediately is the way the Prime Minister wields power".
In Mr Falzon's own words: "The current agents of this power-wielding exercise can no longer carry on as they have done since Dr Gonzi was appointed Prime Minister. Dr Gonzi is sincere in his intent to change their ways, but I don't believe his coterie will mend their ways just by a flick of the fingers. Old habits die hard."
For better or for worse, responsibility for change rests squarely on the Prime Minister. It is Dr Gonzi who is answerable to the electorate, not the Castille coterie. The uproar emerging from the electoral forum leaves no doubt on the expectations of the electorate - the outcry is for a government capable of delivering the goods.