POND ISLAND--Long queues were observed inside and outside the Census Office during the past week as new holders of residence permits under the Brooks Tower Accord rushed to secure their identification cards.
Many customers waited for hours – some as long as seven hours – to be served, while others were told to return later.
Census Office head Leona Romeo-Marlin said the issuance of residence permits under the Brooks Tower Accord had resulted in a rush for identification cards.
The Brooks Tower Accord was designed to regulate the status of undocumented persons. In St. Maarten, 511 permits were issued under the temporary legalisation programme.
"There is only one machine to make identification cards; hence, a long line is inevitable," Romeo-Marlin explained.
Several persons have voiced complaints about the situation. After a certain number of numbered tickets were given out to persons seeking new ID cards or drivers licences, security guards told visitors to return the following day at 7:00am.
The office does not open until 8:00am. Nonetheless, some people went as early as 4:00am to make sure they would be among the first to be served that day, turning the quest for a new ID card into a long and tedious operation.
Romeo-Marlin assured that the long queues had her attention. "As soon as we have the approval of the Executive Council, we will open on special days to help alleviate the overflowing requests for ID cards," she said.
