The National ID System (NIDS) is back on the Jamaican agenda. We will be hearing much more about this. It is obvious that the Data Protection Act must be fully implemented first… My personal view is that the NIDS Bill cannot be rushed (before Christmas seems unlikely, anyway) and that it must be discussed with full transparency and participation, and with care to INCLUDE the Jamaican people, every step of the way. In other words, I agree with this statement by five organizations.
For more perspectives and discussion, please read the report and view the excellent webinar presented by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) in Kingston on YouTube.
On October 26, 2020, a coalition of organizations in Jamaica released a statement about the new national identification system, in the context of the announcement a few weeks ago that the new Bill is to be tabled in Parliament shortly. The organizations are Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), the Slash Roots Foundation, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) and Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP). The statement is posted on the JFJ website and is posted in full below.
The New NIDS: An Opportunity to Do Things Differently
OCTOBER 26, 2020 – On September 29, 2020, the Government of Jamaica indicated that fresh legislation to establish the National Identification System (NIDS) would be tabled, debated, and passed by the end of the year. We welcome the restarting of public discourse on NIDS and the government’s commitment to send the Bill, when tabled, to a Joint Select Committee…
Petchary's Blog 
Its Good… 🙂
LikeLike