PM Says Jamaica has Progressed with NIDS
By: , February 27, 2018The Key Point:
Photo: Michael Sloley
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left), emphasises a point to Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President, Luis Alberto Moreno (second left); and former President of the Republic of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves (right), during a panel discussion at the seventh IDB Caribbean Governors' Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Tuesday (February 27).The Facts
- Noting concerns raised across the society about NIDS, particularly persons' privacy, Mr. Holness said some of these issues are legitimate while others resulted from fear and anxiety.
- The Prime Minister said in this regard, the Government has sought to reassure citizens through dialogue.
The Full Story
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, believes Jamaica has progressed to a “fairly good place” in relation to the commencement of the National Identification System (NIDS) pilot implementation by the last quarter of 2018.
He was speaking at a panel discussion at the 7th Inter-American Caribbean Development Bank (IDB) Governors’ Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Tuesday (February 27).
Noting concerns raised across the society about NIDS, particularly persons’ privacy, Mr. Holness said some of these issues are legitimate while others resulted from fear and anxiety.
The Prime Minister said in this regard, the Government has sought to reassure citizens through dialogue.
“We have been having that conversation, and it has been ongoing… . Even after the passage of legislation in Parliament, we continue to have the conversation to reassure them,” he noted.
Mr. Holness emphasised that the implementation of NIDS, like any other country’s national ID system, is imperative for several reasons.
“From our perspective, it will help with service delivery (by making) us (Government) more efficient and more effective with (minimal) cost to our citizenry. We also believe that each citizen should be known to the State, so that we can properly plan and provide for them,” the Prime Minister emphasised.