Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, used his weekly Issues in the News programme to clarify public concerns surrounding the rollout of the government’s new digital identity card and related legislation.
Nandlall reminded that the last Parliament passed two major pieces of legislation, the Digital Identity Card Act and the Data Protection Act, which together support government’s vision to modernise Guyana through digitisation.
“These two pieces of legislation demonstrate our government’s vision and commitment to digitization and using data and digitization in the transformational developmental trajectory that the government has embarked upon in Guyana,” he said.
He emphasised that data use has become a key driver of development globally and Guyana intends to adopt these tools as “first world countries” have done, to inform policies and national transformation.
According to the Attorney General, both laws were crafted with “all the protective safeguards that are necessary,” and the framework has even been praised internationally. “I made reference to an expert from Barbados who wrote in the Barbados Nation an article saluting the Guyana’s Data Protection Act,” Nandlall noted.
Despite being passed, neither law has yet been brought into force.
Nandlall explained that this was intentional, because the legislation creates complex new administrative systems that require personnel, infrastructure and technology to be fully operational nationwide before implementation begins.
“These legislation require centres to be established from one end of Guyana to the other in every administrative region,” he said, adding that each will need trained staff and specialised equipment. He assured the public that government is moving “with every convenient urgency” to set up these systems properly.
To begin the transition, government has started distributing digital ID cards to selected State employees. However, Nandlall stressed that participation at this stage is voluntary.
“The persons who were invited to participate in this process were told that they don’t have to participate if they wish not to because the law is not in force,” he explained. When the necessary mechanisms are in place and the laws commence, he said, participation will then be required by law.
He also clarified the type of data being collected now.
“So data such as names, addresses, ID card numbers, passport numbers, ten numbers, photograph, driver license numbers, marriage certificates, birth certificates, are all information that are already in the public information system of this country,” he stated. Importantly, he stressed that no medical, financial, or other deeply personal data are being collected at this stage.
Responding to criticism from the Opposition and some media commentators, Nandlall said, “The fears that I see being expressed by the APNU and by some commentators in the media are i dear say unfounded, without basis and polluted by politics,” he said.
He argued that the government already has lawful access to the basic data being collected, and insisted there is no realistic concern of misuse.
“So this fear that the government is accumulating data and will misuse the data and will manipulate the data for all ulterior design and purposes is one that is without basis and unfounded,” the Attorney General added.
