Prime Minister Mark Phillips has confirmed that the registration of public servants for digital identification cards remains legal, despite the Digital Identity Card Act and the Data Protection Act not yet being enforced. Speaking to Demerara Waves Online News on Saturday, Phillips emphasized, ‘Everything that’s being done is legal.’ He acknowledged that the commencement orders for these laws, approved by the National Assembly and assented by President Irfaan Ali in August 2023, are pending issuance but assured that they would be implemented soon. ‘We’re going to do it very soon. There are a couple of things that we need to put in place,’ he stated. The Digital Identity Card Act mandates that the Digital Identity Card Registry be overseen by the Data Protection Commissioner, who holds exclusive authority to issue the cards. However, former House Speaker and Attorney-at-law Raphael Trotman noted that without a commencement order, the legislation remains inoperable. ‘If an Act explicitly states that a commencing order has to be issued, and it has not been, then it is inoperable,’ Trotman explained. He added that a subsequent commencement order could validate prior actions. Currently, President Irfaan Ali has already received his digital ID card, though the Data Protection Act remains inactive, leaving no office or commissioner to enforce data confidentiality laws. Several public service agencies, including the ministries of health and education, have instructed their staff to register for the cards when visited by officials from the Prime Minister’s office.
Digital ID card registration legal though laws not yet in effect – PM Phillips
