Truth under siege

WESTERN BUREAU:

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has called on CARICOM member states to take immediate steps to confront the dual threats of misinformation and citizen insecurity, warning that the very stability of regional democracies is at stake.

In her address at the ongoing CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, in Montego Bay, Mottley spoke to the dangers posed by fake news and the improper use of artificial intelligence.

“We live in a world now where fake news, regrettably, is a key part of all that we have, and where the improper use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) can sometimes spark great fear and panic among our citizens,” she said.

To counter this growing threat, the Barbadian leader proposed a regional truth-verification initiative.

“It is about time, therefore, that we as a region come up with a CARICOM validation mechanism, in the absence of the providers of those platforms not taking the action to validate truth any further,” she said. “If we fail to do so, we put seriously at risk, the stability of our democracies.”

Mottley said that her own government has already been targeted by false online narratives.

“In the last two weeks alone, my government in Barbados has had to put out, as clear fake news, one that sought to ban President Trump from our country, one that sought to impose on Barbados, travel advisories that didn’t exist,” she said.

“And it is almost as if this is a daily exercise now for our countries, because those who have nothing to do–as we’ve learned as children– ‘the devil finds work for idle hands’.”

Mottley also stressed the need for a “CARICOM blue tick” to authenticate truth within the region, much like digital verification symbols used on social media.

“We need our own CARICOM blue tick to validate truth in this community,” she told fellow regional leaders.

In addition to digital threats, Mottley focused on regional justice and security. She reported that CARICOM heads of government met with chief justices in what she described as a “historic meeting.”

“Today, the heads of government of the Caribbean Community met with the heads of judiciary, and we did so as an absolute item of respect on the bar,” she explained. “It was a historic meeting, and it was one that recognised, as your chief justice in Jamaica put it, that it is possible for the judiciary to remain independent, but not isolated from the communities in which they operate.”

On the issue of citizen security, Mottley emphasised that every Caribbean nation is grappling with some form of insecurity, many worsened by external factors.

“There is no country in this region that is not facing some level of citizen insecurity,” she said. “And regrettably, I’ve said over and over, we pay a high price for the Second Amendment rights of the United States of America’s citizens.”

STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DECISIONS

Mottley also endorsed Jamaica’s proposal for a Regional Justice and Cooperation Framework, calling it a timely and necessary step.

“If ever there was a time for us to cooperate, as we discussed today on matters pertaining to this, and Jamaica has put on the table a regional justice and a framework cooperation agreement, which I believe the rest of us are ready to engage in,” Mottley stated.

She tied the proposal to broader regional commitments already made, referencing both the Needham’s Point Declaration of 2023 and the George Bridge Declaration of November 2024.

“It is consistent with the Needham’s Point Declaration of 2023 that was settled by the Caribbean Court of Justice Academy and the judges of the region. It is consistent with the George Bridge Declaration of November 2024 that was settled by the CARICOM heads of government,” she explained.

Mottley also touched on the need for strategic economic decisions that preserve regional output while tackling high living costs.

“The political judgement that has to be made by now is what other items that will not compromise regional production, that can have the boundaries continue to be reduced, so that we can see more progress on the reduction of cost of living,” she said.

“It is absolutely needed by our citizens if we are to see safety be the primary concern of our people – from Jamaica and the Bahamas in the north, to Belize in the west, to Barbados in the east, to Guyana and Suriname in the south. And of course, underpinning all of that is that wonderful island chain of the Eastern Caribbean States. We have a duty to our citizens,” she added.