Let’s rewind a couple of years, shall we? Joseph Muscat has just won back-to-back elections with unprecedented numbers, is regarded as one of the greatest political forces in the history of Maltese politics, and let’s face it – who will manage to stop him?

Turns out, the answer was not what or who we expected. Turns out, it was to be the exact same people who got him there in the first place.

Muscat will now go down in history as the prime minister whose office was linked to the murder of the country’s leading journalist. Some may call it the worst political judgement and foresight this country has ever seen. Most of us beg to differ.

In any case, his position as prime minister is not only untenable, but at this point, it is reckless and dangerous to the country. If Muscat has any shred of decency left, he would have left already, and would consequently stop holding us all hostage to his greed and misplaced pride.

Very few saw right through Muscat back when he became leader of the Labour Party in 2009. But Daphne Caruana Galizia was one of them. She was the one who called him out every single time. Caruana Galizia exposed the deceit, lies and the never-ending list of scandals which hit the country practically every couple of weeks throughout Muscat’s time at the helm. Some of us didn’t believe her, or perhaps not all the time. But how wrong we were.

It is so glaringly obvious that Muscat is playing for time. Why does he not leave now? Why the delay?

The Panama Papers, the Egrant affair, the Electrogas deal, the privatisation of our hospitals, the golden passport scheme and so many other cases of clear malpractice have all contributed to leave Muscat’s legacy in absolute tatters.

Perhaps for those who voted Labour in the last two elections, the biggest betrayal will be the fact that they expected him to take action every time a new scandal hit the headlines. Such action, they would have thought, would be at the same measure as that taken against Anġlu Farrugia on the eve of the 2013 general election, and against Manuel Mallia and Michael Falzon, who were stripped of their portfolios when their participation in corrupt practices came to the fore.

Despite this mirage of discipline, Muscat could not, however, lift a finger against Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, who for the past four years have run havoc in the country, dragging down their master with them.

Last Sunday, the Prime Minister announced his intention to step down from leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of the country, in and around January 12. It is so glaringly obvious that Muscat is playing for time. Why does he not leave now? Why the delay?

Muscat does not seem to understand, or rather, gives the impression that he does not understand, what all the protests are about. The longer he continues to hold on to his position, while banking on his hardcore Labour supporters (he’s lost all floaters who rooted for him in the past, that’s for sure), the longer it will be for justice to be served, and for the truth to emerge.

Justice must not only be done – it must be seen to be done. Both these political and judicial maxims are dead and buried at the time of writing.

That will be the legacy of Muscat. He will go down in history as the popular prime minister who used that very same popularity to run havoc. To protect his criminal friends, at all costs.

As the nation’s leader who quite blatantly and brazenly paved the way for the country to be run by his crooked friends, to descend into international disrepute and who betrayed the trust of the thousands of people who voted for him.

Many questions will in most probability, remain unanswered. Why were people like Mizzi, Schembri and others allowed to run rampant, with full and unreserved impunity?

Why did a mother, a wife, a journalist have to die when so much could have been done by Muscat?

We can only hope that one day, these questions will be answered. But until then, they will continue to haunt Muscat, as well as the rest of us, until the whole truth comes out. And we will make sure it does.

Joseph Grech is a lawyer and president of MŻPN.