…residents overjoyed, anticipate rollout of other services

By Vanessa Braithwaite

RESIDENTS of Linden expressed high appreciation to the Ministry of Citizenship on Tuesday as the official launch of passport services took place.The launch took the form of a simple ceremony at the temporary location in the National Insurance Scheme’s compound. It saw in attendance Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valarie

Patterson, Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira, Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland, Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph, Deputy Director of Community Development Council Sandra Adams, Senior Immigration Officers and Regional Councillors.

It was highlighted that the office is part of the Government’s programme to decentralise passport services throughout Guyana for the benefit of all Guyanese. From Today (Wednesday), residents of Region 10 will be able to access services for renewal or replacement of lost, damaged or expired passports. This can be done every Wednesday and Thursday, and they can uplift the passport the following Thursday. First-time applicants will, however, still have to travel to Georgetown to process their application. This is as a result of the unavailability of the machinery used to produce first-time machine-readable passports.

Minister Valarie Patterson expressed gratitude to Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix and the Government of Guyana for bringing such services to Region 10. “This is really going to give the people of Linden a boost and Region 10 where they don’t have to spend money to travel to Georgetown to get a passport with the exception of the first time applicants,” she said.

The Minister revealed that this is just the first slice of the pie as all of the services offered by the Ministry of Citizenship, including birth certificate will be decentralized. She said that the Ministry is in the process of acquiring a land to build a permanent office which will accommodate all of those services.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Regional MP Jermaine Figueira, who also applauded Minister Felix for seeing the wisdom in decentralisation as it allows for the materialising of President Granger’s vision. “I do believe it is unfair for persons to have to travel to Georgetown to get these services that can be offered within the township…..it will alleviate the frustration of having to travel…this is just the first step.

Minister Felix first made the announcement of the regional passport office at the ‘Meet the Public’ initiative in July. “This (development) is for two purposes: we realise the need to bring government services in the region, and we need to reduce the unnecessary crowds that we have at the passport office at Georgetown,” Minister Felix had said at the ‘Meet the Public’ initiative.

Following implementation of this service in Region Ten, decentralising of passport application services will expand to other areas, including Mabaruma in the Waini Region (Region One); Anna Regina in Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two); New Amsterdam and Corriverton in East Berbice-Corentyne Region (Region Six); Bartica in Cuyuni–Mazaruni (Region Seven); Mahdia in Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight), and Lethem in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).