The Passport Office on Thompson Boulevard. Applicants can expect delays of 12 weeks or more. Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff
By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
SHADOW Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Chipman yesterday questioned the legal basis behind the government’s $200 fee for those needing new passports on an emergency basis within 48 hours.
He also asked if this fee was a new tax being passed off as an emergency fee.
The St Anne’s MP also accused the government of seeking to cover up its “inefficiencies of poor direction and mismanagement” by taxing citizens seeking to obtain a Bahamian passport on an emergency basis.
Mr Chipman also questioned if Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell is “taking serious and timely steps” to address the backlog of over 6,000 applications at the Passport Office.
“On which lawful authority can a $200 fee be levied on the citizens of the Bahamas?” Mr Chipman asked in a statement yesterday. “The laws and the accompanying rules clearly state the cost for obtaining passports by categories and makes no mention of room for extra cost. Is this another tax under the smoke and mirrors of a fee ‘on emergency’ basis?
“Why are Bahamians being taxed for the inefficiencies of poor direction and mismanagement from the political leaders?”
The new fee applies to applications received after July 1, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last weekend.
Additionally, those 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 regular fee for passport renewal is $50.
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. This fee is not payable where there is a medical emergency.
This comes as the Passport Office grapples with a backlog of 6,500 applications and is struggling to meet an extended deadline of 12 weeks from the date of application. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said additional staff and equipment are being brought in to assist with the problem.
Mr Chipman said: “Is the minister taking serious and timely steps to address the backlog? Why is more staff and equipment just being brought in to ‘deal with the challenges’ instead of proper preplanning on systemic peak periods in requests?”
He added: “The current administration appears asleep at the management wheel again at the expense of the Bahamian public. Under the former FNM administration, which was faced with the same equipment, the passport process was maintained at two weeks based on proper preplanning and management. There is a need for ingenuity and strategic management directives instead of poor execution and visionless leadership.”
During the budget debate in the House of Assembly last month, Mr Mitchell said the wait for passports would be extended to 12 weeks from the date of application.
Last month, Mr Mitchell said the demand for passports tripled this year when compared to 2014. At the time, he said the collection time would increase from eight weeks to 12 weeks.
Mr Mitchell said the impending discontinuance of handwritten passports this year coupled with the “summer rush” has caused extremely long delays at the Passport Office.
Mr Mitchell has previously said that all Bahamian passport holders will have to have an e-passport by the end of this year.
Comments
B_I_D___ 9 years, 3 months ago
While it is despicable that there is such a long wait time for a normal processing, both Canada and the UK offer an expedited service of 24 hours or less...UK is 4 hours, for in excess of $200 Processing fee. It is NOT a new concept...just sad that people will have to resort to it if they want their passports before 2020.
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 3 months ago
Governments worldwide no longer serve the people they are elected or appointed to represent; the wealthy get priority to all government services because they are deemed to pay the most in taxes. It's no longer a democracy of "one man, one vote" with each citizen being entitled to receive equal treatment by their government. It's now about buying governments, and those with the biggest pocket books feel they are entitled to buy priority to services and "favours" from their governments. Democracy is crumbling and there is no equality when it comes to justice....the Lady holding the Scale long ago removed her blindfold! Truly sad for all among us who are financially much less well-off.
asiseeit 9 years, 3 months ago
Thats alright, they are going to push the poor man into a corner and we are many more than them. When people have nothing to lose, are backed into a corner, you are playing a dangerous game. Keep pushing you Kleptocrates, keep pushing! Bahamians are ANGRY.
Reality_Check 9 years, 3 months ago
You have hit on the very reason why government officials today are much more inclined to succumb to the temptation of taking bribes, even from well known organized crime figures in a society. Most of our elected and appointed government officials truly believe that their ascension to public office entitles them to surreptitiously sell the influence they hold by virtue of their public office to the highest bidder that comes along wanting a "special favour". Just ask yourself: Why did Christie, Maynard-Gibson, Wilchcombe and the little pudgy fella with the short stubby grubby dirty sticky fingers choose to try and 'legalize' the illegal activities of the gaming web shops rather than enforce the existing laws and shut them all down? There was obviously a quid pro quo element here which wreaks of corruption! Now ask yourself: Why was our government so eager to take the side of the Chinese enterprises involved in the Baha Mar project over the principal developer? We can only take comfort for the moment in knowing that the NSA in the U.S. has no doubt followed the significant sums of tainted funds connected to the Baha Mar project.
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