On March 6, I ventured on a visit to the Evans Building with the aim of registering for an electronic ID, known as e-ID, so as to be able to logon to the ETC job vacancy database. I duly presented my identity card but lo and behold I was told that an e-ID could not be issued because there was a discrepancy in my name: the name on the identity card reads Antoine (as I have always been called since birth) but according to the birth certificate at the public registry I am listed as Anthony.

Therefore according to the line of reasoning of this office my identity card number does not identify me but someone else. As I was trying to explain to the clerk very cordially that my name on the identity card was there since the begining of the identity card system some 35 years ago and nobody had ever found reason to split hairs to define the difference between the different languages between my name appearing on my birth certificate and identity card, another person came in and was given the same instructions because her name, I believe, was Georgia and not Georgina.

The net result of all this is that we have to change our identity card to reflect the same translation of our name otherwise we cannot obtain a simple e-ID based on the unique identity card number and obviously our photo on it.

I once had a friend of mine who wanted to set up a business in Malta but he didn’t. When I asked him why he had changed his mind he simply told me that he has the greatest respect for the Maltese people but unfortunately we are “professional time wasters”.