Following weeks of speculation that the digging up of roads across the corporate area is to facilitate the installation of spyware, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has publicly declared that it is to enable the further digitization of the country.
Speaking during the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) 80th Anniversary Conference at the National Arena on Sunday, the Prime Minister reiterated his government’s policy to transform Jamaica through the use of digital technology.
“When you drive around Kingston, you see them digging up some holes and putting in some cables, that is bringing in more broadband, so that all the public sector entities can be on the internet, so that you can access them virtually,” he said.
“We are putting in a new broadband system, where we are going to increase broadband internet access all over Jamaica. Almost everyone here use cell phones; cell phones cost a lot, data costs a lot. For you to get information, you need to be able to afford data, and for us to make the data available, we have to make it accessible right across Jamaica, at a reasonable price, and that is why we are doing this national broadband network,” he told the large gathering.
A whatsapp message which has been shared many times in the last few weeks has raised the issue about the trenches.
“I don’t know if the two are connected, but some of you may have noticed that trenches are being dug along numerous city streets, and there is no official word as to why this is happening,” the author of the text message shared.
“Trenches have already been dug along the entire length of Wellington Drive, also along Mona Road and Old Hope Road, and on numerous other main city streets,” the messenger wrote.
The writer went on to say their community is affected as well, without naming the community. Based on checks with someone at the National Works Agency, they were informed that the trenching project will be islandwide. They then proceeded to ask why, and was told that the government is installing an emergency communication system that will connect emergency services, schools, hospitals, and other essential services.
“Needless to say, this information has not lessened the speculation that the cables are ‘spyware’ which is what’s being widely discussed, and now that there is this announcement that an Israeli company has been awarded the government contract, this is bound to fuel the speculation more. Incidentally, even before the news story about the Israeli contract was published, word on the street was that the government had contracted with an Israeli firm to install “spyware” and the cables in the trenches will be used to spy on every single citizen in this country,” the messenger shared.
The Freedom Come Rain Newspaper has not been able to verify the identity of the writer or when the message was first sent; however Prime Minister Andrew Holness had discussed Israel and Jamaica strengthening partnership in the areas of water, agriculture and domestic security when he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, in 2017.
Earlier this year, technology minister Daryl Vaz told the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives that some of the infrastructural work to prepare Jamaica for 5G broadband technology had started, although local providers did not seem too eager to implement the technology. In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth generation of wireless cellular technology that allows for increased internet speed. But some believe the rolling out of broadband technology will strengthen government’s control of citizens and push societies closer to the one world government.
Internationally, 5G technology is generally believed to be a military system that tracks private activities and gives governments access to private conversations. In some quarters, the technology has been described as a digital prison that could be used to usher in population control under the guise of making things more convenient and our lives easier.
In 2019, Opposition senator Peter Bunting was among those that expressed concern that the governing party had engaged the services of Israeli firms to provide software capabilities that could allow for spying on political opponents and journalists, among others. Former US ambassador Donald Tapia had also accused the Andrew Holness-led government of using the systems of a local telecom firm to listen in on his conversations prior to his departure from office in January 2021.
After months of silence, the government confirmed in 2021 that a J$4 billion, five-year contract was signed with Isreali firm ELTA Systems Limited to protect Jamaican institutions against cyber attacks. This disclosure came after it was revealed by international media that ELTA’s servers were hacked into by Iranians.
Holness had indicated at the start of his second term as Prime Minister, that his government intended to roll out a world-class broadband system that would spur the country’s economic growth. He has spoken extensively about the benefits to be derived from the National Identification System (NIDS), which some feel will be used to monitor the activities of citizens. There has also been a lot of talk about the digital economy and Jamaica going cashless eventually. The Prime Minister however backtracked on comments about Jamaica going cashless following public backlash. In May of this year, Senator Dr. Dana Morris Dixon was given responsibility for skills and digital transformation.
