NEVER before now has the Immigration Department been faced with such a deluge of applications for new passports or for renewals as it is currently facing.
And most applicants don’t complain much about having to stand in long queues because they invariably get their new passports on the same day.
It was not by accident that the department has been able to process the vast numbers every day but by planning, executing and reviewing the processes involved.
It was done with forethought and innovation.
Over the Covid-19 pandemic period, nearly six million passports expired.
Some say the Immigration Department must have been prepared to meet this huge demand or at least part of it, once the lockdown was over. But let’s look at the facts.
Most of us cannot remember the last time civil servants had to work until 10pm every day and during weekends for four months last year to cope with the demand as immigration officers did in 73 passport offices.
Last year alone, the number of passports issued totalled 2,574,435 which was half a million more than the previous high reached in 2017.
Few realise the process that has to be followed before a passport is issued.
There is a 14-point process ranging from checking to printing as well as other variables, including the determination of passport stock.
On average, 200 passports are issued every day per immigration officer. Credit must be given where credit is due.
That is to the Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud and his staff who have been processing about 25,000 applications every month since our borders have been opened and travel restrictions lifted.
Khairul Dzaimee should also be complimented for his hands-on approach to monitoring the performance of his department to ensure positive results.
While commenting on the passport issue I also hope the department will consider some suggestions to further improve its services.
For instance, could the department set aside one day in a week or provide special lanes to serve just senior citizens and those with infants and the infirm?
Also, could officers work on rotation to man counters during the lunch break instead of closing the offices between 1pm and 2pm as is the practice now?
And could the online application process be further simplified? And a chatbot be introduced to answer some of the queries?
These and other innovations would make a good service to the public even better.
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
Kuala Lumpur
