Dear Editor,
The Prime Minister’s announcement that anyone seeking to get a benefit through
the recovery process must be registered under the National Identification system
(NIDS) is of concern.
According to the Prime Minster, the relief efforts were hampered by the “ability to swiftly identify and verify beneficiaries”. I would dare say that most persons did not think it would have been a swift process to bring relief to individuals but to wait an entire year?
I can think of a particular woman in St.Elizabeth who is still living under tarpaulin. Before Melissa she lived in a house with the consent of the owners. Melisssa totally destroyed the house and of course the furnishings. Her plight has been verified by at least 1 government agency but to date she has not received any assistance despite the fact that she possesses a current passport. She is not expecting assistance to rebuild the house since it was not hers from the start but she too has suffered major loss. Her identity and the loss can be verified but still no assistance from the Government. Now how will registering with the NIDS help her?
As to the need to prevent duplication of benefits, shortly after Melissa I made a call
to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on behalf of a gentleman in St
Elizabeth whose house had been severely damaged. The officer at the Ministry
checked the records and was able to say to me quite tartly that the man’s wife’s
name was already on the list and since they both occupied the same dwelling,
placing his name on the list would be duplication. So, the agencies were aware of
the possibility of duplication of benefits and had implemented measures to deal with
the same! At the same time it is reasonable to insist on beneficiaries having an
acceptable form of identification especially for the more valuable benefits . But the
Prime Minster has made it clear that the NIDS will be the only acceptable form of
identification for receiving benefits. Registration under the NIDS is supposed to be a
voluntary act. The dangling of scarce benefits before the eyes of needy persons
does smack of a form of manipulation belying the principle of voluntary action.
Think again Mr Prime Minister.
I am,
S Richards