Prime Minister Andrew Holness called on Jamaicans to refrain from following misinformation circulated regarding Jamaica’s financial sector.
He urged members of the public to take information from verified sources. Obviously, the Prime Minister was referring to the SSL Fraud scandal, which has embroiled the country and social media.
“I want to take this opportunity to say on an entirely different subject that has captured the minds of the public and has led us down all kinds of speculative paths, don’t follow rumors.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
The Prime Minister was the keynote speaker at the German Ship Repair Jamaica Shipyard Project launch at Harbour Head in Harbour View.
He insisted that Jamaica’s banking sector remains robust despite misinformation being circulated.
“But there is always room for improvement. You would have heard the Minister of Finance yesterday go through, in excruciating detail, reforms that we will undertake to close any existing gaps or others that may come.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
“I am not going into any details or specifics…financial markets depend on information, and if the actors in the financial market are consuming false information, they will make wrong decisions. So, I urge our Jamaican people, particularly regarding financial matters, to seek verified information before you use that to form your opinion.”
Appearing to be troubled and pensive, Holness charged that it is vital for the Jamaican people to properly vet information, especially when it comes from social media.
“We indeed have a problem, not just with financial literacy, but with information literacy because we read and believe everything. The fundamentals of information literacy require we check sources and verify against credible sources before we allow it to form our opinion.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
Once again, social media gets the shitty end of the stick. It is good until you are caught in its crosshairs. The Jamaican people do not need the Prime Minister to tell them how to process information. They already know the difference between serious information and information that is put out for hype. The SSL fraud scandal is accurate, and it affects real people.
Still, the Prime Minister should have mentioned transparency. Because a lack of transparency breeds mistrust, and mistrust gives rise to speculation. The people are tired of the lies.