Dear Editor,
I recently visited the Passport Office to have my passport renewed. I was puzzled to find out that the office is no longer renewing machine readable passports; instead the applicant has to apply for a new passport.
I would like the Chief Immigration Officer to tell us how much it is costing to print new passports. I am seriously questioning if this process is purely to generate revenue, but then, if it is, to do what?
I say this because, since my visit to the office in 2008, there have been marginal improvements.
The room is still hot, the process still long and cumbersome, non-existent seating for persons uplifting passports, a television with a view that is obstructed by a grilled cage, and immigration officers who can’t comprehend that their job actually requires an element of customer service.
Perhaps, the police band rehearsing next door is what maintains most people through this horrific experience.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
