The Malta Chamber on Wednesday called on the Prime Minister to rise to the occasion and do the honourable thing expected of a true statesman.

In a statement, it said that it was making its appeal on behalf of all hard-working entrepreneurs and ethical businesses, who provided jobs and a livelihood for thousands of Maltese families. 

“The Prime Minister can bring an end to this stalemate the country has crashed into. Within the context of current confusion and instability, history will remember him for it,” it said.

The chamber said it appreciated the fact that the Prime Minister was seeing the gravity of the situation that had implicated his office and his person.

But the fact that he was staying on as head of government until January only taking care of day-to-day matters until his formal resignation brought the country to a standstill, characterised by a seldom experienced level of uncertainty.

This sense of prolonged uncertainty for businesses and investment was rendered even more serious by the negative attention the country was attracting, with potentially unimaginable consequences. The hiatus the country had descended into had to be lifted. 

The chamber said the country needed to deal with all forms of allegations of political corruption since every hour of inaction was considered damaging to the country. 

Ethical standards were there to be respected by all members of society, including the entire political class and the chamber expected a full, deep and immediate clean-up of the whole system in the shortest period of time. 

People, it said, had every right to protest responsibly. This sacrosanct right had to be assured and crowds should be provided all the opportunity to do so, with any form of confrontation being avoided. 

As for the President, though limited by his role as determined by the Constitution, he was being called upon to advocate balance and statesmanship during these troubled times.