Why all this fuss about this secret Panama-registered company called Egrant? Why cannot we just discard this curiosity to discover who owns this company?

It is an accepted universal truth, and so we have been told, that there is nothing wrong, or illegal, with owning a secret Panama-registered company. The Prime Minister confirmed this over and over again, so much so he sees nothing wrong and is not bothered that two of his closest aides do, in fact, own or owned such companies.

He has seen, and sees, no reason why these two close aides should be asked to resign from their posts. Much, much less should he have considered, even remotely, a resignation on his part had it transpired that he, or whoever else, owned such a Panama company.

Should we not put an end to all this Egrant speculation that has caused so much discord among the Maltese population? A population in its majority intent on intelligently pursuing a life focused on attaining ever higher and excellent standards of ethical civic behaviour.

A behaviour that guarantees liberty, democracy, respect, tolerance, rule of law and good governance. In other words, the best in the EU. Why cannot we persuade all citizens, with no exception, to unite in the pursuit and consolidation of these ideals, so perfectly reflected in the work of this government?

It looks like we cannot and this because of one or two pesky politicians who obstinately persist in fomenting trouble.

Unlike their boss, they just would not stop making allegations on secret Panama companies. Sometimes they allege there is no rule of law in Malta, that State institutions have been hijacked through appointments, in key positions, of incompetent feckless individuals. They go on about rampant state-of-the art corruption that caters for the fat and well-heeled as well as a lower category small fry.

Let sleeping consciences lie; where there is ignorance let us sow bliss

These naughty characters are now disappointed that a magisterial inquiry could not come to a conclusion to their satisfaction about the name of the owner of Egrant. They are cheeky enough to complain that the magisterial report will not be made available, in full, to the public.

Well, who wants to have access to the entire report once we have been duly informed, by very reliable and objective officials, about its conclusions?

Yes, why should we question the established, inalienable fact that a signature of a respectable Panamanian person has been discovered to be a forgery?

It is alleged that this Panamanian person would, in the course of her work, put a signature on seven, 10, 12, 1,000 documents of Mossack Fonseca. Just imagine how this person would have fine-tuned the ability to produce perfectly identical signatures, so that a single fake one will stand out.

So, put your minds at rest, a fake one has stood out.

If these unbelievers want to go deeper into this Egrant issue they should get in touch with the one and only person in the world who has the answer to the million-euro question: who owns Egrant?

This is the person who, we all know, sent that crucial e-mail to Mossack Fonseca in Panama. However, the question to this person should not be put in a way that might make him reveal the owner.

That would be illegal, a serious infringement in a country that cherishes the rule of law, a country where the rule of law invariably prevails, not to mention a breach of the very high professional and ethical standards prevalent in the accounting profession.

So, the question will have to be put in an ‘elimination’ mode, that is the interrogators will mention one or two names and the interrogated will move his head up or down, no words uttered.

This approach should put the mind of these two unbelievers at rest and allow them to solve this fixation of theirs as to who owns Egrant.

In this manner, all of us will be able to serenely revert once more to a comforting consciousness of living in a Mediterranean paradise island.

In other words, the best in and the envy of all EU member states.

Such a development may induce these two persons to exit an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ mental state and come down to earth. They just might stop their persistent attempts at pricking the conscience of the amiable citizens of Malta. Let sleeping consciences lie; where there is ignorance let us sow bliss.

Should they desist from waking us up from a hypnotic slumber?

Do we want to wake up?

Arthur Muscat is writing in his personal capacity.