Government urged to allow public consultation in drafting new NIDS law

Human rights advocacy group, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), as well as the Parliamentary Opposition, have cautioned that various forms of public consultation must be used extensively.

The suggestions follow Wednesday's announcement by the government that it will not appeal the recent court ruling which struck out the NIDS law as unconstitutional.

The Government also announced plans to establish a joint select committee to review the proposed legislation for the national identification system.

Rodje Malcolm, Executive Director of JFJ, has said even at the joint select committee stage, it is critical that public input is brought in comprehensively.

"Once the bill is prepared and it is tabled, the regular procedure is that the joint select committee allows for public submission. But in the past, what has normally occurred is that the window is so small, it's simply to check a box. We hope for a project of such national importance that there'll be a true, genuine attempt to  get public feedback at joint select committee and sufficient time to ventilate those issues," he contended while speaking Wednesday on RJR's Beyond The Headlines.

Asked whether the People's National Party (PNP) is prepared to file another action in court if the new NIDS law is not up to the party's standards, PNP General Secretary Julian Robinson asserted that the Opposition is "there to protect the rights of the Jamaican people."

However, he said following the PNP's previous challenge, it would be expected that the government bring the NIDS law in line with the constitution, making it unnecessary for any further challenge.