Govt urged to resolve passport shortage problem
Immigration Department must be transparent in providing updates on the shortage of passports which has inconvenienced thousands of applicants, says Sarawak DAP
KUCHING: Applicants intending to renew or apply for travel documents have expressed dismay at the shortage reported by the Immigration Department in Sarawak and elsewhere in the country.
The department’s branches in Sarawak ran out of passports over the weekend. However, immigration officials report that the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Kuching had received a fresh supply of passports on Monday.
Similar problems were reported by the immigration offices in Simpang Tiga, Kuching and Miri.
“We would like to call the immigration department to be transparent and to let the public know why there’s such a shortage,” DAP assemblywoman Violet Yong told the media here today.
Yong, who is Pending assemblywoman, said services have resumed in UTC Kuching, but with a limited stock of passports. She said she received feedback from constituents that hundreds of applicants had been turned away due to the shortage.
“There must be a reason why there’s a shortage, but I believe they refuse to let the public know, and this is unacceptable. The public should not be kept in the dark on this matter,” she said.
According to a report by The Malay Mail, a source within Putrajaya had said a batch of 20,000 passports was delivered to the Immigration Department in Putrajaya, but a large number were found to be defective.
A biometric chip, supplied by a private firm Datasonic Group Bhd, is attached to each passport.
The department issues an average of 220,000 passports a month. Over the weekend, some 1,000 passports were delivered to Sarawak, for distribution to respective branches.
Though services have resumed, there is yet to be any official statement issued by the Immigration Department.
“In the case of Sarawak, the state government has autonomy powers over immigration matters.
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“The state government should step in and explain to the public and provide a full picture, otherwise the public will have the perception that they have something to hide, or are trying to protect the parties who are at fault,” Yong said.