And the Director also had some words for those members of the public who are fed up with the very difficult system of applying for passports at immigration. She says she hears your pain, but patience is a must:...
Diana Locke - Director of Immigration and Nationality
"It's very frustrating to the public I must add because a lot of people come with what they've been accustomed to doing 10 years ago or 5 years ago and that's not the way it's done now. And so when you ask them to have it corrected they are highly upset, very abusive to our staff, insulting and we just have to continue to serve. We want things to be done right but we also need to do it right. It works both ways. The public needs to understand and there are very understanding members of the public and there are some that are not so understanding. And so I appeal to those persons to please understand where we are coming from and, in trying to correct these things that you are asking me to ensure that we are going to do, that they have a role to play, that they too must do their part. It works both ways."
The director also alluded to the corruption that has penetrated the immigration office where some members of the public bypass the long waits and the long lines by purchasing numbers from corrupt taxi drivers. It's paying to jump the line and she says it has to stop:
Diana Locke
"Please don't facilitate or encourage any chances that you have to facilitate corruption by coming in and offering to buy a number. Report those things to us because if you don't offer, they can't accept. And if they make that bid to you then you have that right to refuse. But if we as a people do not draw a line in the sand and say we are not going to do it...some of us need to step back a little. We want things to be done quickly and we are willing to pay whatever it costs to get it done but we need to look at ourselves because it's not only at Immigration, it's everywhere. Because paying a $5 to secure a parking spot is corruption too. It's not just what happens at Immigration but it's what happens in every sector of our lives. How quickly we want things done and what we are prepared to pay to get it done. And if we look at ourselves and we do that, then maybe we will see things changed."
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