It was announced recently that experts from a Singaporean company will be visiting Mauritius in the near future to implement the new ID card with all biometric input for all Mauritians. This project will naturally cost more than a tidy sum, but it was also said that this is a G to G venture. Now G to G contracts are, for the uninitiated, Government to Government contracts.

In normal circumstances, such contracts used by Governments having close ties, but this closeness does not override the requirement of informing the public about the mode of selection of that particular Singaporean company. Without in any way suggesting that the designated company is not quali- fi ed, it would be better for good governance if the public was reassured that transparent tendering processes were held. The Government may inform the people of this country whether or not this was done since the basic promise of a good tender exercise is to obtain value for money. At the end of the day, all Mauritians will have to pay for this G to G contract and it is important for the fi nal paymasters to get the assurance that they did in fact get value for the new ID. G to G ventures are tied affairs. There is no fl exibility about procurement since all procurement will have to be with the other G government’s blessings. Mauritius has had bad experiences in the past about such contracts and it is the wish and hope of all Mauritians that this time will be different. We also need to know if the company has invited any Mauritian offi cials to Singapore in this context.

While it is important for a small card to contain all the vital biometric statistics about our citizens, it must also be important to put to good electoral and other official uses such a card. Mauritius is the only country in the world where the right to vote at any general or local Government election is not conditional upon the elector satisfying the offi cer in charge of the electoral process that the voter is in fact the person who he/ she claims to be. Despite recommendations by international bodies, the Electoral Commissioner has failed to implement measures concerning ID cards. Without a voter’s card, no election can be credible and this is in keeping with international election norms.

Although Mauritians have been under the obligation of having an ID card for years, now they are denied the benefi ts of having such cards. But, just try to use it to obtain, for example, a passport or to open a bank account. The ID card is worthless for these purposes and it is not suffi cient for the authorities to act upon it. What is further required is your birth certifi cate and other documents. One is left to wonder the real purpose behind the ID card.

The need for an ID is obvious, but it is time that the authorities act upon it as a reliable document. Simply having a state of the art ID in order to be able to brag that we are the 1 st country in Africa to do so is preposterous.