It seems that someone last year had nothing better to do so he or she set about trying to find ways and means of annoying and causing more problems to mothers whose children have been using two surnames since birth.

I have just found out to my detriment that, in July 2012, a most ridiculous law was passed. Suddenly, a child who has had a double- barrelled surname from birth (that’s using both the father and the mother’s surnames) can no longer renew his/her passport and stick to the same names unless the person who authenticates the photo and signs the application form accompanies the child and mother and confirms at the Passport Office that the child has been using both surnames since birth.

The fact that since birth these children have had all certificates, bank accounts, ID cards and, yes, even passports bearing both names does not count anymore.

If this new procedure isn’t followed, children who have used a double-barrelled surname for donkey’s years will suddenly find that their renewed passport will only feature their father’s surname.

What has really made me see red is the fact that we are now supposed to be equal to men. This law makes an ass of that supposition.

So I’m appealing to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who won the election on the slogan Malta tagħna lkoll (Malta For All), to make sure that women are part of it too and should, therefore, repeal this absolutely ridiculous law forthwith.

I wonder whether the person who is causing all this hassle is the same one who came up with the utterly ridiculous idea of suddenly changing names that people have been using for 60, 70 and more years. We ended up with people who have been known as Joseph, Laurence, Charles etc. suddenly finding that their passport is now Giuseppe, Lorenzo, Carmelo etc.

By the way, since the majority of persons who usually sign passport photos and forms are doctors, lawyers, parish priests, headmasters/mistresses, etc., do they really expect all these very busy people to drop everything and go to the Passport Office, wasting hours until it is their turn so that this person (plus those MPs who passed this silly law) can get away scot-free?