Dear Editor,

On Tuesday, June 15, I was at the passport office with a friend who was applying for a new passport. Friend was in the line at about number 40 around 5.45 am when it started to pour. Most people were soaked by the time they got to cover. When it stopped raining the people came out back onto the road and again into the line. No problem there except that my friend was shifted to a number well over 100. Friend got frustrated after a cuss-down commenced with other persons in the line, and left.

Friend made the trip from Berbice again the next day, but this time arrived at the passport office at 5 am. Friend was about number 21 and got through safely that day by about 9.30 am.

This is almost uncivilised treatment by these neat-looking officers in uniform who run the passport office. Does it matter that one has to travel from Berbice and may not get service that day? Is there any proper lining up system for those who have to be there early? One does not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out a simple way to do this passport application. Try this! Let persons in Berbice, Essequibo and other far-off places (or everyone) go to a commercial bank and pay for their passport and be given a date so that there can be some control in relation to the number of persons to be dealt with on a particular day.

Or try this: have a day set aside for Berbicians alone (or persons from Essequibo) and numbers to be confirmed by appointment. Here is another suggestion: set up shop in Berbice so that we do not have to go to Georgetown. In the name of god and humanity, minister, stop doing this to people. Try getting up at 2 or 3 am and then going out to line up for a passport and risk getting soaked, and still not get through that day. That is inhuman treatment – and it is happening

Yours faithfully,
Charrandass Persaud