Home Affairs Minister Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyotte has declared that people standing in line for others seeking passports and getting paid for the service is becoming a ‘little business’ at the Immigration Department.
“People come on the line, and these are not persons who come for passports. They are actually coming to hold spaces for people, and they come very early in the morning and we are seeing it developing as a little business and this is something I am encouraging Saint Lucians to discourage,” Albert-Poyotte told reporters on Monday.
Her comments came in response to concerns over long lines at the Immigration Department.
“When you see those long lines, it’s persons who are actually trying to lobby to get to hold places on the line for people who will be coming later. So if people come at the time that they need their passports checked, you will not have the long lines,” the Babonneau MP explained.
“We have checked with the Immigration Department on a number of occasions and they said most of the time by ten O’ clock most people have gone home. So the long lines and giving the impression that from 2:00 am people have to be on the line, this is ridiculous and people must not continue to do that,” the Home Affairs Minister asserted.
“This is something that we are actually investigating to see if there is a scheme going around. People trying to take lines and pay people to make some money quickly to get passports,” Albert-Poyotte stated.
She also announced plans to relocate the Immigration Department, disclosing that retrofitting was underway at the new site.
In this regard, the Babonneau MP told reporters that Immigration Department staff chose the location and are very happy about it.
Headline photo: Stock image
Honestly something not right with you and the department. While your pay check and persons within immigration is guaranteed by we the voters who secure such for you all, you all doing nonsense. Why would it be a little business eh? Time is money and while people holding position in line for others and the line expand it display pure deliquesce on your part. Your department only service a population of 180k what if you had to served millions? You must think before you yap your mouth.
You ll ministers need to stop talking bullshit and upgrade the dam shitstem… I had to stand on a line at infrastructure for 3 hrs to pay a sticker for a dirty road that’s not even worth $1. If I have the money to pay someone who has time on their hands to hold a space for me I will do it and still pay for all those who can’t afford to do it too ok. Get workers employed to full up the empty spaces Ull have all over the different government institutions. We need to protest all the hypocrite st Lucian’s come out, open ull mouth.
Leave the people alone. Thats creative. People need to eat. If you want to discourage it then improve your system. Everyone hates long lines.
What do you expect with the 5 year passport which you imposed on us? By he time you get it, it has expired. You fleece the people and so you have taught them to fleece. Both parties have sold out the gullible people.
That is why the lines are long. Give us back our 10 year validity and the problem with be solved.
I’m ecstatic that the department will be moved. I hope this happens very soon because the current location is not conducive for the purpose.
This island is as backwards as it seems on paper. Why can’t a more efficient system be implemented already? Online appointments with allocated time slots would create less of a queue and will allow the immigration department to assess and limit how many people they see in a day. Everybody wins. But here we are I’m 2023 queuing pointlessly for a half a day to a day. We’re not ready for big time yet.
My bright lady you don’t have to take any line for your passport with that said I hold my peace keep all holes closed
Poyotte you must try out the process yourself. That’s the problem with you leaders, politicians and managers. You all just make assumptions and act on hearsay. You all just stay in your office, make a call or send a note to get things done for self or friend.
Take some time out of your cozy offices and walk the walk of your customers and experience what they go through to access your services. Then and only then you can provide a better and improve quality of public services.
There is nothing illegal about people standing in line for others, everyone must eat. It is an indictment on government and your leadership as you have made no provision for the differently able, senior citizens, persons who are unable to stand long hours and worst of all you have provided no washroom facilities and protection from the elements for the citizens standing on these lines.
So much for people first.
Lady Minister you will be best advised to investigate why the pasport application verification office which should open at 8.30 am opens after 9.00 am .
Perhaps this agency should consider scheduling all appointments on line with bar codes at varied time slots. Most of your citizens have cell phones — please please utilize technology; this would eliminate all the drama and the massive lines which by the way looks crazy – if you utilize time slots throughout the course of the day for appointments it would certainly help. We are in 2023 – let’s make processes make sense.
Of course it will be a thing. You morons in power created the problem. Limited hours of operation. Short term passport. Virginia Poopooyot is really not that brilliant. St. Lucians keep scraping the bottom of the barrel to find people to represent them. Very telling of the IQ of the populace.
Sort out the living wage or lack of it.
A proxy waiting in a horrendous line, has become a badge of honor. As an administrator, I wouldn’t dare repeat such a dreadful situation in my area of responsibility. Oh my! How this place has gone to the dogs.
If the shithole and persons will not make it a business. This country is getting me sick along with this sick administration.
With the way this verification process is being done people will always get persons to take the line for them cause they only take 50 applications per day …this is beyond ridiculous and causing all these problems to verify…you need to open other offices to serve more people around the island….why are they opening after 9am and they business hours are from 8:30am???
If you think people standing in line to help one another is the problem with that office…. then you’re a jack*** Madam! No wonder this country is in shit Street.
Minister Poyotte misses the mark entirely. The focus as a policy maker should be on the processes of the Department and how things should be done more efficiently for the citizenry. The public is to be held blameless for your Department’s screwups and not be curtailed for exercising some initiative in dealing with the nonsensical public service we mete out now. We. Yes. Because I am a public servant and it’s a real shame to see what we are doing to the people we serve. Get it right.
It’s best she kept her flappers shut …she said nothing to address the real issue at hand.i personally I’m very sick with those backlog lines at every government institution..traffic department, passport dept……any short temper person would freak out on those lines and because the government hasn’t provide adequate assistance to its voters
shut the hell up woman. What you need to do is get to the root of the problem , you guys and your slow service that have us on these long lines in the first place. it was not like this before so stop diverting the issue and making it seem its because other people coming and stand on the line for others its why the line is long. If they were coming in person the line would still be long. yall just want to give yall mouth useless air
I’m guaranteed that this supposingly intelligent woman knows gad damn well that it’s not any holding line for ppl dat causing dat…this is the exact reason ppl are paying ppl to wait on line because they don’t want to endure these long frustrating lines…it’s just ministers taking the citizenry for mockery right to their faces…my co-st.lucians are true idiots to allow those folks to get away with their boolpoop.
I have often heard the saying “It is better to remain quiet and be considered a fool; than open your mouth and remove all possible doubt”. i think the Honorable Minister should adopt this. First of all, is there anything in the Laws of St. Lucia that state that this is illegal? Secondly, if the applicants themselves were standing on those queues, would the services they await improve? I bet, the Minister herself has placed a relative or friend to wait in line at a bank or supermarket to “save time” while she accomplishes other tasks. As someone who holds a Doctorate qualification, it amazes me that she would even imagine far less utter such nonsense. Just goes to show, not all of us; even those “in charge” are liberated from the Massa mentality. #EmancipateYourselfFromMentalSlavery. And some of them are the first to chastise people who ask for alms or unfortunately steal. IT IS HONEST WORK. Wait….y’all want to regulate it so y’all can tax them too???
P.S.
If I get a gig to make some extra cash that way, I’d gladly do it.
Most of them so called ministers and public servant have bachelor’s, masters and PhDs in education but they are not intelligent
I strongly believe St.lucians were on some kind of drugs when they voted these people in office. I can’t believe That’s what the woman is focusing on. The end result.
To be honest your department should be fined for having Saint Lucians queuing in this day and age to renew their passports. I find it innovative of Saint Lucians to pay someone for their time while you clueless hacks seem to come up with ridiculous schemes to make the lives of Saint Lucians more difficult. This is a prime example of having people in government who don’t have a clue…still stuck in the 1900s, with 1800s mentality in the 21st century. And you want to blame Saint Lucians for your ineptitude? You should be commending Saint Lucians for their ingenuity….that is what passes for leadership in Saint Lucia these days?…and you can tell by the response on this forum that the people are not pleased with the status quo…how dear you think that of your own people when it’s you and your government who has wrangled the people like this? No wonder our society is not progressing anywhere fast… Because these are the idiots in power.