–President Ali tells Caribbean stakeholders
–emphasises Caribbean must not continue to plaster the problems affecting the legal system

THE bedrock of democracy, the rule of law and political stability must be solid, for the criminal justice system to properly function, according to President Dr Irfaan Ali.
As the Caribbean continues to advance on the path to modernising its criminal justice system, President Ali left no stone unturned in his analysis of how the region can design solutions to tackle the challenges it is facing.
At the opening of the inaugural ‘Legal Conference on Criminal Justice Reform – Advancing the Needham’s Point Declaration,’ earlier this month, President Ali engaged stakeholders from across the Caribbean who gathered at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.

The fabric of democracy, the rule of law and maintaining political stability, were some of the topics that Dr Ali touched, emphasising that it must not be overlooked.
He said, “The criminal network and enterprise feed off of certain elements. If there is political instability, if the rule of law does not exist, if society operates in an undemocratic environment, criminality feeds off of that. So, it is very important that in also examining the entire ecosystem…political stability, the rule of law and democracy form an important platform for the system to operate under.”

While the President underscored that the criminal justice system does not operate in a vacuum, he also stressed that the Caribbean region must approach societal, environmental, cultural, economic and value issues as one.
The world continues to rapidly change and so do behaviours. In this regard, President Ali highlighted that how Caribbean countries respond to this is an important part of the criminal justice system.
He believes the best approach is as a holistic community.

“As a community, we can take collective ownership and reduce the risk that sometimes prevents us from making bold moves and bold steps.”
The Head of State also urged for solutions to go beyond the surface level. He noted that if the legal ecosystem is not fixed, it is not only a problem for the judiciary or the dispensation of justice but it is a problem for the entire Caribbean.

The Head of State said that the problems that affect the Region cannot continue to be plastered while its foundation is being ignored.
“We have to learn to put our brain power together… to design and develop solutions that meet our needs and our problems.”
The President also focused on digitisation, the key role it plays and how it will shape the future.

Dr Ali did not shy away from the blunt truth that Guyana is “way behind” the curve as it relates to digitisation. Within the legal context and in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the President noted said it is important that the judiciary is given the necessary attention.
“Two years from now our Judges will be in an environment in which they will quickly need to decide what is real and what is unreal based on arguments presented…And that requires a whole different mechanism, a different support system, a different deployment of technology to support their work.”