Piccinino argued that while Abela's comment amounted to an opinion, Caruana's response was an official one, and said the business community did not want opinions but facts. He said this made it difficult to take seriously the government's long-term planning, including Vision 2050 strategy. Asked whether his decision to resign as secretary general before the general election, rather than after it, was a strategic move to distance himself from an anticipated defeat, Piccinino rejected the suggestion outright. He said he was never afraid of holding the secretary general post through an electoral loss and had simply continued doing his job to the best of his ability. He said his decision was rooted in wanting to base his candidacy on direct contact with voters through house visits, something he said would not have been possible while still serving as secretary general.