Holness hits out to the forum YouTuber

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Dangerous rumours

Holness rips online critics for stoking fears about digital currency

Reacting to rumours and growing suspicion among segments of the society, Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday said it was “stupidness” that some Jamaicans and others have recently been criticising the Government over its establishment of new bank notes and a cashless system with digital currency.

Representatives of churches and others have, in recent months, been arguing that the national digital payment infrastructure is part of ‘a new world order’ and have raised their concerns about it.

Holness, while delivering the opening remarks at an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Government Digital Transformation in Jamaica event at the AC Marriott Hotel in St Andrew yesterday, took time out to address the issue.

The prime minister, at one point in his presentation, asked to be pardoned from his “departure from calmness”, saying he had to “call it out”.

“There is no mandate to be cashless … . There is no attempt by the Government to remove cash, meaning paper money, from the system. Just stop for one moment,” Holness declared. “Just be rational. Why would the Government spend billions of dollars to change currency to a new durable bank note, that we don’t have to be changing it ever so often, only to turn around and take it out of the system?”

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...gerous-rumours

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PM blasts critics spreading fear about digital transformation

PRIME Minister Andrew Holness has described as "dangerous, unnecessary and ridiculous" an emerging trend that he says is being stoked by individuals he classifies as "opportunists and political entrepreneurs" and who are using "fear and conspiracy theories" to pit Jamaicans against Government's digital transformation effort.

Delivering opening remarks Wednesday at the 'Road to Digital Government' forum hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on how digital transformation can strengthen the public sector and the Government at the AC Hotel Kingston, Holness emphasised that integrating technology will not remove the rights and freedoms of citizens.

"Digital transformation is about rethinking how institutions, both public and private, deliver service, meet their mandate, and remain relevant. It is about making government services more accessible. It is about reduced administrative burdens to companies [and]empowering public officers to maximise their talents to the benefit of the people," the prime minister said.

"It is about providing and delivering better services to our people, increasing our communication to our citizens and customers, and serving our citizens, customers' needs by providing, better and improved experiences when they do business with us," he noted, adding that the right to privacy and self-determination and the right to be different will not be taken away.

"Digital transformation can be a powerful equaliser through enabling financial inclusion and educational inclusion. But first, we must ensure that there is digital inclusion by eliminating the digital divide. Your Government has been working hard to achieve the objective of digital access for every Jamaican," he stated.

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news...ransformation/