THE Office of the Consular-General of Solomon Islands in Brisbane, Australia, has come under criticism on social media after a local working in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme raised concerns over the non-performance by its staff.
The local, Glen Lema, expressed his disappointment after his trip to Brisbane from Sydney to renew his passport turned out unsuccessful.
He dubbed the trip as a waste of time and money.
Mr Lema claimed that he asked for two days off from work to travel to Brisbane where the Consulate is located to renew his passport.
He made an appointment with the Consulate before flying over.
However, upon arrival at the Consulate, he was told his appointment was cancelled.
Mr Lema claimed he was never advised of the appointment cancellation either through an email or phone call from the office.
“There was no follow-up call or any attempt to inform me about the cancellation, which I find extremely unprofessional,” he said.
Mr Lema said this is totally unacceptable, considering the effort and resources he had invested into making the appointment and the trip.
“I urge the authorities to consider the impact of such cancellations on individuals and to appoint someone who is committed and diligent in carrying out his/her responsibilities,”
he added.
He said the job of a consular requires someone who does proper follow-up on communications through phonecalls, emails or SMS to keep clients informed on matters so as to avoid unnecessary inconveniences.
“I hope that steps will be taken to improve the professionalism and communication in such matters,” Mr Lema added.
Since the incident occurred and the issue was raised via the social media, a lot of people have vented their frustration over the Consulate staff for not doing their job.
The appointment of one officer to work at the Consulate was also criticised.
The Solomon Islands Consulate in Brisbane could not be reached for comments.
However, comments are being sought from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
By MOFFAT MAMU
