Georgetown : The newly created Ministry of Citizenship will eventually realise the amalgamation of several services currently under the aegis of the Guyana Police Force. This move is in keeping with recommendations made by the Disciplined Services Commission since 2014.
Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix spoke of this development in the National Assembly on Thursday during the second sitting of the 11th Parliament. He noted that “civilians should be contracted to perform police functions that do not require police training.” It was explained that this would include examination of vehicles for road fitness, processing of applications for passport, and typing and secretarial work.
The new Ministry will encompass these areas and more according to Minister Felix. He outlined several ways through which persons can become citizens, including naturalisation. In quoting the vision of the Immigration Services, that is, “Developing to its full potential, Guyana’s registration and immigration system”, he noted that it is envisaged that in the long- term, the country would be serviced by an efficiently run decentralised registration, immigration and naturalisation service or RINS. This service will have branches in all of Guyana’s townships such as Bartica and Lethem, and will give persons the ability to know their rights and responsibilities, and “have access to recourse in the event of anomalies to the system.”
The Minister stated that for too long these agencies have had a disparate relationship, and they were unable to share information, and hence completely serve the purpose for which they were designed. The Ministry of Citizenship, currently housed in the compound of the Ministry of the Presidency, will review the existing system and structures and the formulation of a strategic plan to integrate the systems to achieve the development of a comprehensive citizenship policy, a border policy, decentralisation of services and a national model that includes civic education to transform the sector to realise its full potential.
The Ministry will comprise two divisions, Minster Felix added, “One involved in the registration of births, deaths and marriages, while the other will be engaged in the registration of citizens, naturalisation, visa extensions, passport applications and other related matters.”
A Managing Board will be put in place to guide and be responsible for overall policy. An Operations Manager will assume responsibility for the delivery of the services, administration and daily operations while a Legal Advisor will also be appointed. An Integration Technology Manager who will oversee the integration of the systems and relevant data, and a Public Relations Manager will be employed.
All new births will be registered with a unique number issued to them, Minister Felix further explained, stating that this number will be instrumental in the registered person’s obtaining of a national identification card at age 14, where biometrics will also be done to ensure that Guyanese can be easily identified wherever they are. Agencies such the Guyana Revenue Authority, Immigration and the Ministries of Education and Health will eventually have access to this information under a secure data base system. All of these measures will be implemented using best practices from overseas nations.
With over 40 different nationalities present in Guyana for various reasons, Minister Felix stated that the numbers give rise to the need for the review of this country’s laws. The current method of persons outside of Commonwealth nations being able to reside in Guyana for five years and automatically being given naturalised citizenship must be revised. The Minister emphasised “examples from other countries suggest that apart from residency in that country, for five or more years, there is need to write and pass a written exam. A review of chapter 1401 to review these shortcomings is in order”.
He added that as a small developing country with high unemployment amongst a small population, where foreign investors enter to generate wealth, the jobs of Guyanese must be protected. Recalling the issue with the previous government which allowed Chinese unskilled labour to work on the construction of the Marriott hotel, the Minister stressed that unless highly specialised skills are required, vacancies must be advertised locally, “before importing labour from outside of Guyana. This situation ought to be corrected to allow Guyanese to be beneficiaries of employment.”
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