The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

DNA Leader Branville McCartney yesterday blasted the Passport Office for “blaming the public” rather than “accept responsibility for the obvious shortfalls” plaguing the department.

Mr McCartney, former state minister of immigration, said the government department “completely missed the point” in its defence of imposing a $200 fee to those seeking to obtain a Bahamian passport within 48 hours on an emergency basis.

Mr McCartney said the Passport Office’s most recent statement demonstrates a commitment “not to the improvements needed to make the process more efficient” but “to mediocrity”.

On Wednesday, the Passport Office defended its decision to levy the new fee, saying the charge will compensate the office for the costs incurred by emergency requests caused by poor planning or “negligence”. The Passport Office also criticised Mr McCartney for previously suggesting that the government was “cashing in” on its inefficiency by implementing the fee.

Yesterday, however, Mr McCartney said the core issue is the government’s failure to address the long-standing issues at the department.

“As I said in my previous statement, the challenges facing the passport department are not new,” he said. “In fact, these issues present themselves every year. A responsible government would have taken the steps early on to prepare for this eventuality rather than resort immediately to the further taxation of its already overtaxed populous. The statement from the Passport Office demonstrates a commitment not to the improvement’s needed to make the process more efficient, but to mediocrity.

He added: “It is clear the officials within that government department completely missed the point. This third world mindset is exactly the issue plaguing countless government agencies and public sector departments. Rather than accept responsibility for the obvious shortfalls the statement (by the Passport Office) resorts to blaming the public.”

On Wednesday, the Passport Office justified its reasons for implementing the fee, such as dealing with persons “who chronically lose their passports, largely through negligence,” as well as dealing with last minute applicants who planned trips costing in the tens of thousands of dollars but did not check to see before they attempted to travel “if their $50 passport had expired”.

The Passport Office said: “Sometimes people have been called in on weekends and after hours to fulfil these emergency requests. Inevitably, one of the reasons why people who followed the rules and applied in a timely manner could not and cannot get their passports on time is because of these untimely requests. The fee is meant to compensate the office for the costs incurred.”

The new fee will be placed on applications received after July 1 for those who need their passport within 48 hours, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last weekend. However, 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 a 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 medical emergency.

On Wednesday, the Passport Office said a system has been put in place for applications submitted by July 9 by persons who have travel plans prior to the collection date on their receipt; those whose collection date has expired; and for those persons who have not received the passport and are in urgent need of the document.

These persons are urged to email their information and details of their application to mofacustomerservice@bahamas.gov.bs.