What a week...

A day in the political life can turn out to be unusually long. 

After a tumultuous week, with the whole nation besieged by the tragic circumstances that led to the death of two young men, the rather unexpected period of morbid alienation was broken by the Prime Minister's untimely decision to carry out a cabinet reshuffle, which led to one significant reaction.

But before turning to the political situation, it has to be said that beyond the controversy over the kind of reportage that the tragedy has received, one really has to reach out to the Zammit and Xuereb families. No matter what is said, it is the Zammit family who were the victims.

The fact that three-month-old twins will grow up without their father and  a young mother without a spouse is a tragedy in itself.

It is perfectly fine for the priests to call for forgiveness, but the fact remains that Zammit was murdered in his home by Gera, and this should not be forgotten.

Beyond the mystery of what really happened, the real victims are the families concerned. Things will never be the same for all them. Only time will heal the pain.

And for the impatient and impulsive, time is always a killer.

And now to Franco Debono, who declared that he would not support the prime minister, accusing him of being arrogant, and claiming that he should have resigned after the divorce referendum.

He asked the prime minister to call for an early March election. He confided that he would continue to call for an election, or else see Gonzi replaced as Chief of the party.

Later in the day, a visibly irate Gonzi was interviewed by Joe (Peppi) Azzopardi in special edition of Xarabank. The PM was clearly in denial. 

It was a special programme before an aptly named Friday edition of Xarabank, which was planned to debate 'L-Ahhar Tad-Dinja' - the end of world.

It truly sounded like 'the end of the world' for Gonzi.

Joe Azzopardi was unusually piercing but he failed to air Franco Debono's comments on Gonzi given to One TV.

Those comments have damning content.

Typically sure of himself, Gonzi refused to recognise the fact that he should call for a vote of confidence. He brushed aside the idea that he needed to call an election and he called on the Opposition to join them in fighting the economic crisis.

He accused the Opposition of wanting instability.

But surely, it clear to everyone that Debono is not being egged on by the Labour party. He is his own man.

Whether Debono is justified or not does not diminish the fact that the government has lost its majority.

Why the opposition should suddenly turn magnanimous and embrace the government at this point beats me.

Which opposition is stupid enough to embrace a government that is crumbling, and so weak?

But the real issue now is that after years of uncertainty and with so much political instability, it is clear that the Prime Minister is at a dead end. He is in no position to govern in such a situation.

The very fact that he refuses to budge and that he has no or little self-respect is confirmation that he is more interested in retaining power until the very last day.

Yet no matter what was said, there is little doubt in my mind that there is only one option, and that is to call an early election.

If he does not, then Debono is completely justified in accusing him of being an oligarch.

Even if he does not agree to having a vote of confidence, an election would be the most beneficial thing to have. 

It would confirm who has the majority in the House and give the new government the right to govern without continuously having to look behind its back.

The consideration in Gonzi's mindset is that being told when to hold an election must never be a good omen.

Though there are those - and I believe Richard Cachia Caruana is one of them - who believe that is this not the case.

Let's face it, the chances of the Nationalist Party winning are not very high. Though the PN has managed to consolidate its core vote, Muscat is still leading in the polls.

And Gonzi is in no mood to go down in history in this way.

When you think about it, Gonzi is a great chess player and survivor.  He has managed to bury one problem and move on to confront another.  He has also convinced people that he makes mistakes but is always willing to admit to them. But this time round, it is clear that Debono is not bluffing.

The attempt to appease Debono failed miserably and instead, Debono was awarded no ministerial portfolio and was left incensed by the cabinet reshuffle.

The options available to the Prime Minister are limited, if not nonexistent.

There can be no stability in this kind of scenario.

Go for it Lawrence, be man enough, it may not be the best thing for your profile on Who's Who, but it is what is most needed for this country.

The onus of responsibility also falls on the President of the Republic. He must ensure that the government can work in serenity and stability. If the government cannot, then the President can ask the PM to call early elections. 

Gonzi knows that this is not an imaginary scenario but a reality that he has to deal with.

No measure of rhetoric will change this.

It is a matter of days before we will know whether the next general election will be held in March.