Dear Editor,
The government’s plan for a mandatory biometric E-ID card is a crisis in the making. We are told it is the path to modernity, but the government’s own actions reveal a dangerous truth: they have built the tools for a digital dictatorship while deliberately leaving the safeguards in the drawer.
In 2023, the Data Protection Act was signed into law. This was a promise to the nation that our privacy would be protected in the digital age. Yet, where is its implementation? Where is the independent Data Protection Authority it mandates? The law is a ghost—present on the books but absent in the world, offering zero protection to citizens today.
This is not an oversight; it is a strategy. The government’s dismissive response to the EU’s confirmation that its party abused cash grant data for telemarketing is the proof. If the Data Protection Act were active, that very abuse would have been a clear, actionable offense. The targeted citizens could have sued for the invasion of their privacy. The President could not have been so nonchalant. The fact that he was, and that no one was held accountable, confirms that the 2023 Act is a paper tiger—a shield for the government’s reputation, not a sword for the people’s defense.
This calculated delay in implementation is what makes the E-ID scheme so perilous. They are creating a system of total information control—linking our finances, health, and movements to a mandatory digital identity—while ensuring there is no independent body to stop them from misusing it.
Imagine the abuse that becomes possible. Without an active Data Protection Authority, a vindictive administration could: Weaponize Financial Data: Freeze your access to banking and employment for being a critic. Politically Target Citizens: Merge the E-ID biometric database with the voter list to disenfranchise opponents. Silence Dissent: Track your movements and associations under the guise of security, crushing freedom of assembly.
They have given us a law without life, a promise without protection. They ask for our absolute digital trust while proving they are utterly untrustworthy. We must therefore demand more than just a law on paper. We demand action:
An Immediate Halt to the E-ID rollout until the Data Protection Act is Fully Implemented, and the Independent Data Protection Authority is operational and independent.
A National Audit into the past abuse of citizen data, like the cash grant telemarketing, to demonstrate a genuine commitment to accountability.
A Transparent White Paper on the E-ID, subject to full public consultation, detailing how it will comply with the active data protection law.
Do not be fooled by a paper shield. A law that is not enforced is no law at all. Insist that our digital future is built on a foundation of active protection, not empty promises. Our freedom depends on it.