Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has issued a powerful warning to Caribbean nations: control your information and content, or risk becoming victims of a new form of colonialism. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held on Sunday in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Barbadian leader cautioned that sovereignty in the 21st century extends far beyond borders and flags.
Briefly raising her mobile phone to illustrate her point, Mottley warned that the control of information and communications technology has become the modern battleground for power and influence. She stressed that small states must not underestimate the threat posed by those who might seek to influence or punish Caribbean nations through manipulation of digital access.
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“The price of sovereignty now extends to our ability to control our information and to generate our content,” Mottley said. “We have to be able to own our own satellites and not be the victim of somebody pulling them on us because they do not like the position we took on a war across the world.”
She emphasized the need for the region to produce its own content to accurately reflect its identity and experiences. “It is only us who know our reality,” she continued, “and we cannot simply be the victims of other people’s judgement as to who we are and what we stand for.”
Mottley warned that while the colonial armadas of the past arrived in ships, the modern threat was digital—targeting minds rather than bodies. “The new armada and the new flotilla are not the ships that came and brought our forefathers here under protest,” she said. “But in fact, the new armada and the new flotilla is that which will control our mind. We know what Marcus Mosiah Garvey told us about emancipating our minds from mental slavery. If ever there was a time for us to listen to these entreaties, it is now.”
The Prime Minister further pointed out the fragility of the international order and the difficulty small nations like those in CARICOM face without a rules-based system. She returned to the long-standing issue of regional transportation, voicing hope for the viability of sea-based connectivity. Highlighting the upcoming presentation from the private sector on a potential inter-island regional ferry, she reflected on the legacy of the Federal Maple and Federal Palm ships from the 1960s that once moved passengers and cargo throughout the region.
“We have allowed ourselves to become purely at the mercy of air travel without recognizing that as islands in the Caribbean Sea, we have the ability to reach each other in good time and at cheaper fares,” she stated.
In her 31-minute address, Mottley also revisited key regional concerns. She reiterated the urgency of advancing debt-for-climate and debt-for-nature swaps in response to worsening natural disasters, such as the recent deadly floods in Texas. She spoke passionately about the ongoing crisis in Haiti, arguing that addressing the issue must go beyond simply sending troops.
Mottley also touched on the ongoing border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela, the dangers of fake news, and the need for meaningful education reform, improved citizen security, and stronger food systems. She highlighted the persistent challenges facing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, noting that two CARICOM countries are currently in the process of acquiring cargo planes to help alleviate the long-standing issue of regional trade and logistics.
The Prime Minister’s wide-ranging address served as both a sobering assessment of the region’s vulnerabilities and a bold call for action—urging CARICOM to define its own future in a rapidly shifting global landscape.