The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

DNA leader Branville McCartney yesterday accused the government of “cashing in” on its own inefficiency by implementing an “unjust” fee to obtain a Bahamian passport on an emergency basis.

Mr McCartney, former minister of state for immigration, condemned the move to tax passport applicants who require their documents within a 48-hour period $200 as “third-world mentality”.

Terming the backlog of more than 6,000 applications “a catastrophic meltdown,” he called for new policy directives and improved technologies.

“If every one of those 6,500 applicants decided to pay that fee, what are they going to do? It’s 48 hours, would they be able to get all of the passports out? No,” he said.

“What are they going to do differently to expedite these passports? Because whatever they are going to do they ought to do it across the board.

“What is the difference that will cause them to issue those passports, they can’t do it (for all) because at the end of the day they go back to the same procedures that they are using now.”

“To force Bahamians to pay additional sums of money to expedite a process which has been delayed through no fault of theirs is unjust, and shows a true disregard for the lives and affairs of the citizenry; many of whom may have not needed to use the government’s 48-hour emergency service had there not been a 12-week delay in production to begin with.”

The new fee was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the weekend and applies to applications received after July 1. Persons who have applied before July 1 and were given a certain date for the production of passports will not have to pay the new fee if the passport is needed at short notice.

The government’s statement revealed that the Passport Office was grappling with a backlog of 6,500 applications and is struggling to meet the extended deadline of 12 weeks from the date of application.

It explained that additional staff and equipment are being brought in to assist with the problem.

Yesterday, Mr McCartney termed the move as a “last minute Band-Aid.”

He warned that the present inefficiencies put the department at a greater risk to bribery, corruption and cronyism, adding that such problems already plagued the office and countless government agencies.

He called for the professional management of resources and computerised processing. He pointed out that Canadian residents are able to renew their passports with a ten-day turnaround even though they are processed in Jamaica.

“The challenges associated with the production of passports are not new,” he said.

“Year after year, particularly during the summer months, Bahamians face the same issues and after more than four decades of producing passports for its citizens, the government still can’t get it right with the minister promising now, that additional manpower and equipment is being brought in to address the issue.”

He added: “Clearly what is needed for the passport office is a first world vision rather than the third world mentality which our leaders have displayed over many years.”

The regular fee for passport renewal is $50.

According to the government’s statement, there is also a $200 charge in addition to the cost of the passport for anyone who has lost two passports or more within a 12-month period. However, this fee is not payable where there is a medical emergency.