We are all numbers. Our name is superfluous. Our passports, our credit cards, insurance, social security, etc. etc. all have our number.

In a series in the United Kingdom called “the Prisoner” the central character was called Number 6. His name was not used. It had been erased. Number 6 was held prisoner in The Village. The only thing we the viewer knew about him was birth date – 19 March 1928 and he held a position of some responsibility with the British government, possibly in some branch of British Intelligence, but the exact nature of his job was never revealed. He had resigned his position and the mysterious powers that ran The Village wanted to know why he had resigned.

Everyone in The Village had a number and the man giving the orders was Number 2. A different Number 2 was constant theme in different episodes. But who was Number 1?

Every episode started with Number 6 saying, “I am not a number, I am a free man” and “I am not a number, I am a person.”

There is this marvelous line from one episode: “I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered.”

I hate being a number. But I am. We all are. And our names are superfluous when it comes to government agencies. We are a number only.

When your identity is stolen it is not your name that is important to the criminal – it is your number.

How soon will it be when we lose our name? Prisoners lose their name in many penal institutions. They are known only by their number.

The Cayman Islands government is thinking seriously once again of a national number system for all residents.

Deputy Governor, Franz Manderson, has spoken recently about a government system currently being developed of “unique identifiers”. Everyone will have just one number. This one number will be used to procure all government services eg. immigration, health care, pensions, etc. This could also extend to driving licenses.

Home Affairs Chief Officer Eric Bush, said, “It’s one of the intended goals of e-government. The whole intent of it is to improve efficiency and customer service.”

Note that all government instigates systems that take away our individuality as persons for OUR betterment. It isn’t theirs. It’s being implemented to make things nicer for us.

It makes you feel sort of cozy doesn’t it? Big Brother looking after our interests. I am beginning to feel like a cat and wanting to purr.

And the e-government strategy group is going to once again discuss, at great expense of course, Cayman residents to have Identity Cards. In fact I understand it is “at the top of the agenda”.

Our Driving Licences that have been used successfully all these years to identify us when making credit or debit card transactions at local stores, banks, post offices, etc. are now thought of as not being adequate. We need another numbered card to carry and lose. Of course not all of us have driving licences but to save money and provide those persons with an ID card is not thought sensible. All or nothing.

The goal then is for us all to have one number. If at birth this number is given to us it could be tattooed to our forehead. No need for a name.

“Come in Number 40000 – you’re time is up!”