'Unacceptable'...Opposition agaisnt tying Hurricane Melissa relief assistance to NIDS registration

The Opposition is objecting to a move by the Government to require persons affected by Hurricane Melissa to register for the National Identification System (NIDS) in order to access benefits and disaster relief.

Spokesperson on Justice Zuleika Jess, in a statement on Friday, argued that disaster assistance must be distributed swiftly, fairly and transparently, based on immediate human need, not biometric data compliance, and called for the decision to be immediately rescinded.

Jess said the Opposition strongly condemns the tying of Hurricane Melissa relief grants to NIDS registration.

Speaking at a special Hurricane Melissa press briefing on Tuesday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said accountability was important in the recovery effort and that it was important to identify and verify those in need to ensure that the right resources go to the correct persons.

“In the recovery phase, it is indispensable that there is an accountability system, and therefore we must identify who are the people getting the grants, who own the houses for which the roofs are going to be restored. It is not sufficient to say ‘here is my ID, my picture ID’. That now has to be checked to make sure that you are not going to another window to say ‘here is my ID’ for another benefit,” he said.

He stated that a shortcoming in Jamaica was the general lack of a uniquely identified database of all Jamaicans.

“Every time there is a disaster, we have to go through a process of identifying you over again to verify that you are who you say you are and that you are not getting benefits elsewhere, depriving other people. That takes time, and by the way, that's part of the bureaucracy,” he noted.

Holness argued that having persons registered for NIDS would reduce the bureaucracy and make it easier to identify and verify people.

“Another of the learnings that we have, which we will be implementing, is that everyone who is seeking to get a benefit through the recovery process, whether it is the grants or whatever it is, that you must go and register under the National Identification System. It is indispensable; it is for your interest.”

However, Jess said the Opposition views the move as a dangerous, unconstitutional overreach that weaponises essential humanitarian aid against the most vulnerable citizens during a period of national crisis.

“Using the trauma of Hurricane Melissa to force citizens into NIDS registration is completely unacceptable,” Jess stated.

“Families have lost their roofs, their livelihoods and their security. Demanding that a grandmother in deep rural Jamaica navigate a complex biometric identification process before she can receive a ROOFS [Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters] grant to rebuild her home is both cruel and deeply detached from reality,” she added.

Jess stated that the Opposition believes that by making emergency recovery aid conditional on NIDS registration, the Government is effectively transforming a voluntary programme into a mandatory scheme through what it considers economic coercion.

She added that in 2019, the Supreme Court struck down the original NIDS legislation because it sought to block citizens from accessing essential public services.

“This new policy directly violates the spirit of that constitutional ruling. No government has the right to deny citizens taxpayer-funded disaster relief because they lack a specific identification card,” the Opposition spokesperson argued.

Additionally, Jess argued that requiring NIDS registration created unnecessary barriers to relief, asserting that imposing bureaucratic and biometric hurdles after a natural disaster introduces dangerous delays in distributing critical relief aid.

“The assertion that the government cannot deliver timely aid because they cannot ‘identify and verify’ people is a complete fabrication,” stated Jess.

“In my own constituency, and in hard-hit communities across Jamaica, thousands of affected citizens have already been formally assessed, documented and verified by state agencies. Yet, one year after the disaster, they have received absolutely zero assistance. If the government already knows exactly who these verified beneficiaries are and still fails to send a single sheet of zinc or recovery grant, how is a NIDS card going to miraculously solve their logistical incompetence?” she charged.

She said the Opposition also rejects the Prime Minister’s justification about preventing “duplication” of resources.

Jess argued that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and disaster assessment teams already possess robust legal mechanisms, TRN records and verification protocols to track exactly who receives what.

“The primary crisis on the ground is not aid duplication, but its total absence,” she said.

Jess said the Opposition maintains that using a national disaster as leverage to push a controversial identification agenda betrays public trust.

“The Government must stop making excuses, stop demanding biometric data from citizens sleeping under tarpaulins, and immediately release verified funds and ROOFS grants to the thousands of Jamaicans already cleared for aid.”

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.