I
noted with interest the statement prepared by the passport office in response
to the concerns which I raised regarding inefficiencies at the office.
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 resorts to blaming the
public.
While
I understand the need to put measures in place to deal with individuals whom
the statement describes as negligent or persons who simply fail to plan ahead,
the statement completely ignores the fact that a 12 week wait for a passport is
UNACCEPTABLE, particularly when there are countless examples of systems which
have been able to accommodate the needs of its citizenry.
Whether
or not there are specific groups of individuals that are exempt due to their
special circumstances from the two hundred dollar policy is not the core
issue. The core issue is this
government’s failure to address the long standing issues which have plagued the
passport office for many years. As I
said in my previous statement the challenges facing the passport department are
not new. 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.
Branville
McCartney
DNA Leader