The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MFA) has come under serious criticism from the public and some Members of Parliament from the NDC caucus for the 400% increment in passport application charges.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, indicated that the publication of the new charges for passport application came as a shock to the members of the committee.
He noted that at the time the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, had presented the proposal for the increment to the committee, he had made it known to her that given the present economic challenges, it is imprudent to increase the charges by such a huge margin.
“…At the time inflation was more than 50%, I don’t remember the last time inflation was at 50%. And then you look at the exchange rate which, really, officialdom must take responsibility for. They failed to manage the exchange rate and then they turn round and say that, because we failed…we want to punish you…for that”.
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Furthermore, Hon. Okudzeto stated that the NDC caucus on the committee pointed out to the Minister that the cost of printing passport booklets should not be an excuse for increasing the charges.
He indicated that the cost of printing decreases relatively as the numbers increase, thus an economics of scale that the Minister failed to incorporate into the analysis presented to the committee.
He argued that the cost of printing is costly because the procurement procedure is not competitive to ensure value for money.
Also, the Member of Parliament revealed that the NDC MPs on the committee suggested that the Ministry should wait until economic conditions are better to increase the charges using a gradualist approach.
He clarified that the NDC in Parliament could not prevent the new charges from being implemented because once the proposal of the increment is laid and matured in 21 days, it takes two-thirds of MPs voting against it to overturn it, which the NDC does not have.
Traveling Not Luxury
Moreover, Hon. Ablakwa Okudzeto noted that the notion of some officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that traveling is a luxury is erroneous. He argued that people, such as students, travel out of necessity.
“Look there are so many Ghanaians who travel out of necessity. It’s not everybody who is traveling is some rich tourist who is going to see the world. Take those who need some urgent medical attention, for example, and they can’t have that resolved in Ghana…it’s not a luxury for that person”.
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
He further indicated that the present price hike in charges does not leave room for the vulnerable category – people who opt for the normal process due to financial cost – to afford a passport.
He argued that the present situation goes against what has been the practice of several preceding governments and Foreign Ministers.
More so, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa revealed that the Foreign Affairs Committee had asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to provide data concerning the procurement process of passport booklet printing.
He indicated that the committee was concerned about the financial analysis presented to it by the Minister, as it was informed that the procurement process was not competitive, arguing that a less competitive procurement process does not give value for money.
“I know for example that there are plans to have a chip-embedded passport. These rates are going for the old biometric passports, what will happen when the chip-embedded passports are brought on board? All of these analysis have not been provided”. Hon. Okudzeto said.
He also indicated that the process was rushed and hence, does not portend well for the country. However, he noted that the country had always done well in terms of making sure that its passport is among the best in the world, currently ranking at 76th.
Conclusively, he argued that even if the increment is targeted at introducing the chip-embedded passport, the present charges are still too enormous and impractical given the current economic state of the country.
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