Jeddah malls are now experiencing a renaissance, not as shopping malls, but as a diversity for government services with the Passports Department opening service offices across Jeddah malls. And it is business as usual, but with a bonus. These offices are open for morning and evening work hours from Saturday through Thursday. And it is fast to get things done there. Service seekers said it is so convenient and hassle-free that they are now urging all government service departments to follow suit and open offices in malls. Service seekers may also save money for their shopping at the mall with using the money usually paid to the service expeditor at the Passport Department (Muaqib Jawazat). “The Muaqibs have now been kept at bay. They will no longer be able to fill their coffers with the hard earned money of the public,” one man said. At the first electronic services office of the Passports Department in one of the malls on Al-Tahlia Street, one did not have to wait for long in the waiting room. A speedy completion of transactions using the Internet did not take much time as the passport officers behind the screens were seen picking up steam to finalize the procedures in a more relaxed enviornment. Several Saudi nationals including Hamid Al-Johani, Sa'eed Al-Lehaibi, Saleh Al-Biladi and Sa'eed Al-Nageeb thanked the Passports Department for introducing this new service. Just like shopping for clothes and jewelry, women now can shop for Passports Department services. Fatima Salim said the new service has saved her the trouble of frequently visiting the service expediter's office as she always wanted to avoid going to the Passports Department building. Talah Abdullah said the new offices in the malls would save her the money paid the Muaqib, wishing for these offices to flourish in different parts of Jeddah soon. Second Lt. Muhammad Al-Omani, Supervisor of the Passports Electronic Office, said all Passports Department services are offered here, executed through an electronic network capitalizing on the latest Internet technology. Meanwhile, Talal Qusti, member of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said these services seem to allow for speedy completion of transactions andhelp in winning the hearts and minds of the public.” The NSHR, he said, values the Passports Department's initiative that is in conformity with e-governance the society has been pushing ahead.
