Nekeisha Burchell, opposition spokesperson for Information and Public Communication, has accused Member of Parliament of Portland Western Daryl Vaz of disclosing private information from the Passport Citizenship and Immigration Agency (PICA) regarding opposition leader Mark Golding.

During a local radio interview on Monday, May 20, Vaz revealed that Golding got his Jamaican passport at age 46 after serving a member of the House of Representatives.

This follows a revelation by Golding that he remains a British citizen. There have been calls for Golding to denounce his British citizenship. However, Golding says the law does not require him to denounce his citizenship to serve in Parliament.

Burchell, in a statement said Vaz’s revelation was a breach of private interaction that Golding has had with PICA, information that Jamaicans rightfully expect to be maintained in strict confidence for every citizens.

“This incident severely undermines the confidence of every Jamaican and raises significant concerns about the privacy and security of their data held by government agencies, particularly in light of the recently enacted Data Protection Act and the impending rollout of the National Identification System (NIDS),” Burchell said.

She is now demanding that Senator Dana Morris Dixon, minister with responsibility for Information and Digital Transformation, address the situation promptly.

“Minister Vaz’s actions, which represent a repeat violation of the confidentiality expected in handling personal citizenship and national identification information, necessitate immediate intervention from the highest levels of government,” said Burchell. “I am therefore calling upon the Prime Minister to clarify the actions that will be taken against Minister Vaz for his continuous disregard for the privacy and legal protections owed to every Jamaican citizen.”

She further noted that Jamaicans deserve a clear and transparent explanation of how such sensitive information could even be accessed and disclosed by Vaz.

“This breach does not merely undermine public trust in the government’s ability to manage and protect private information; it profoundly shakes the confidence of our citizens in the NIDS process and our overall data management systems moving forward,” Burchell said.

“In this data-driven age, every Jamaican is rightfully concerned tonight, questioning whether their personal information is secure with the government and whether any minister or their agents can access their private dealings with the state. Such a breach does not inspire confidence and could deter many Jamaicans from participating in NIDS,” she added.