Despite waking up before sunrise and arriving at the Registrar General’s Department before the doors opened, scores of citizens seeking birth, marriage and death certificates were turned away.
But some complained that the problems run deeper than incompetence as allegations were made that citizens were being charged $150 to have the certificates expedited.
Like other days, tempers flared at the Department’s office on Leotaud Street, San Fernando yesterday as people were asked to try again for the third and fourth times. These included elderly people who were seeking death certificates to access insurance money, some living as far as Mayaro and Point Fortin.
While people quarrelled, a staff member was heard telling a woman to make a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Miranda Mohammed told Guardian Media that it cost $25 to get a certificate, but some people were paying a man $150, who told them to return the following day for their certificates. Mohammed said she witnessed an elderly woman weeping after paying the money because she was fed up of constantly being told to return.
“The situation is that they’re turning away people again. They are only taking 100 people and they’re finishing by noon. There is a mister here who is charging people $150 every single day, going down to the back and getting the certificates. I’ve been here over 10 times and I witnessed the same procedure. I was here in the second week of January and workers are strolling in here at 10 o’clock, but we are being told that there is no cashier and there are too many people.”
Mohammed added, “Some people have been here since four in the morning. I came around six and they did not give out numbers until after 9 am. People are coming from Mayaro and the staff here do not care. We need some form of professionalism here. This is a government establishment and they need to do better.”
Ray Davidson said when people arrived at 5 am, no tickets were being given out and staff were telling them to return the next day. Davidson said he has been to the office on two previous occasions, seeking birth and death certificates.
“I’ve been here twice already. I came here last week and they turned me back. All they tell you is the numbers are finished and to come back another day. I have a cousin who is travelling and he needs to get a birth certificate. More than one hour now, they told us someone was coming to us, but half of the people already left,” Davidson said.
Guardian Media reached out to the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs and sent questions regarding the situation but there was no response.