Dear Editor,

A national ID card system will probably do more harm than good.

How will tourists react to being subjected to immigration spot checks, not to mention Bahamians who have an aversion to apartheid-like pass laws?

What if someone forgets to carry their card? Will they be tossed into the hell hole of a detention Center like the Swiss banker? What about ever forgetful children?

What if the card is stolen? This would surely be a gross infringement of our civil liberties.

Tourists are advised not to travel around Nassau with valuables (including passports) because of the theft problem. Will they be issued national tourist cards?

With corruption endemic in our society, I suspect a card system would present another means for the unscrupulous to make money.

Like the horrendous crime problem that should have been addressed many years ago, the authorities are now grasping at straws for a solution to an immigration nightmare that was allowed to thrive right under their own eyes for decades.

-- Athena Damianos

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