Singaporeans are a negligent lot when it comes to passports, travel agents told The Straits Times yesterday.
It is not uncommon for travellers to make a mad dash to the airport with the wrong passport, some said. More often, they show up at the airport with expired passports or without the required visas. Some even forget their passports altogether.
Travel agencies contacted by The Straits Times said they make it a practice to call travellers before their flight with reminders to pack their passports and check everything is in order.
Despite this, one in 10 will goof up every month.
At least one travel agency, Hong Thai Travel, has briefed its employees to be more vigilant about passports, following an incident on Monday in which a 61-year-old retiree cleared all checks at Changi Airport's Budget Terminal after having mistakenly taken his son's passport.
He realised the error during his flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival and after informing the Vietnamese authorities, he was immediately put on a return flight here.
Agents said passengers without travel papers that are in order inconvenience others. Some cause flight delays, and a number miss their flights altogether.
Member of Parliament Indranee Rajah is among those who have blown out of the house with the wrong passport.
It happened two years ago. She realised it only when she was five minutes from the airport, and had to tell the taxi driver to turn back.
She said: 'Many people just grab their passports and hand them over to the immigration authorities without even looking, because they assume they have the right one.'
Ms Tricia Lim, 21, knows this all too well - passport woes have hit this artist twice.
The first time, she missed a flight because of a passport-related problem. The second time was last month, just before her flight to New York.
'I was almost at the check-in counter when I opened the passport and saw my mum's photograph,' she said.
She called her elder sister, who rushed to the airport with the correct passport - at 3am.
National Association of Travel Agents chief executive Robert Khoo yesterday urged travellers to be more responsible.
'Usually the passenger is hysterical, and airport crew are inconvenienced. It is even worse when it comes to group travel because the other tourists are put in a difficult spot,' he said.
Airlines will wait and flights could be delayed for up to half an hour as a result. Entire tour groups could also be held up at check-in because of one person's mistake, he added.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs, also called on travellers to exercise some responsibility.
He said: 'In the most recent case, it is a genuine mistake, but that is not an excuse. If you travel with the wrong documents, you're breaking the rules.'
What they think about that mistake
On public confidence
Dr Teo Ho Pin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs:
"We need to learn from our mistakes and move on from there to improve our alertness. As time goes by, public confidence will increase."
Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies:
"The public has every right to be critical of the lapses, but beyond a certain point, the public should also support the Home Team and give them an opportunity to set things right."
On morale
Mr Alvin Yeo, deputy chairman of the GPC for Law and Home Affairs:
"Whenever something like this happens, professional pride will be hurt. The only way to restore it is to do a good job from now to make sure that the mistakes don't happen again."
Mr Ignatius Kang, general manager of Apro-Asian Protection:
"At times like this, it is very important that the leadership keeps the team motivated and makes sure morale is not eroded."
On routine
Ms Indranee Rajah, lawyer and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC:
"When work is routine, it is very easy to slip into auto-mode. The sense of danger seems to be lacking. If something can go wrong, it will. You need to have that kind of mindset."
On stability
Dr Kumar Ramakrishna:
"Unfortunately, complacency is a problem that not only parts of the Ministry of Home Affairs face but also Singapore as a whole. This is because the country has experienced a long period of peace and stability after independence. There is a lack of a habit of constant vigilance."
On moving on
An ex-police officer with more than 30 years' experience:
"We need to rethink issues to make sure people on the ground can do their jobs effectively. Supervisors may need to do more checks on their staff. Continuing in the same state will not improve matters."
Additional reporting by Sujin Thomas
This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 26, 2008.
