Why was the information leaked is the question

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The member of parliament for St. Michael West Neil Rowe was this week charged with rape, it has been widely carried in the social and traditional media. The fact that statement details given to the Barbados Police Service (BPS) by the victim was leaked is also of interest. It is the second time in recent weeks the BPS has been accused of a breach in confidentiality. The blogmaster agrees with those who opine the BPS will find it challenging to carry out its job in the circumstances and must hastily address the matter.

Barbados Underground (BU) is a part of social media and has attracted its share of criticism since inception in 2007. The reason BU was conceptualized was in large measure due to a passive traditional media perceived to be in bed with the establishment. The traditional newsfeed was effectively moderated and sanitized. Along came the two headed social media monster- with the good and bad that it brings- and as they say the rest is history. 

The power of social media because of its convergence with ubiquitous technology has changed how information is consumed by the public. The use of social media is now seen as an outlet by citizens to share without vetting from gatekeepers of traditional newsfeeds and by extension those lurking in the shadows. Like any man made constructs, there will be misused by some. In fact, many of the so-called establishment dwellers inject information (misinformation) into the social media space to feed narrow interest. Fact!

To the crux of the matter. Unlike others who were present when the alleged incident occurred and have given themselves license to take sides in the matter, it would be constructive to have such persons and other so-called commentators address why leaks to social media occur. The Cahill leak to BU for example is thought to have helped to stoke public pressure on the government at the time and resulted in the project being scraped. There is a perception by some members of the public the social media space is unrestricted and therefore is better positioned to challenge the ‘establishment’. 

The question the blogmaster would like to have answered in the noise of the moment is why was the information leaked?

The blogmaster takes the opportunity to ask why has no head at the ministry of education and elsewhere – rolled yet as a result of the IDB mess up. Another case of short memories?

147 thoughts on “Why was the information leaked is the question”


  3. I see the FAKE distractions and sleight of hand are not working on the people anymore…..amazing to witness…..wonder why they still FEEBLY TRYING…thinking people don’t know WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING, am sure their imps, fowls, pimps and Slaves don’t as usual, but EVERYONE ELSE DOES….

    ..wait until the AVALANCHE OF SHIT they themselves piled mile high FALLS DOWN ON ALL OF THEM……not if, but WHEN, now that will something…

    am too busy to comment on any sad cases or on sad people anymore….i will take a spectators seat for this one…

    am so glad to be too busy.

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  4. @BushTea Griot, you make it seem so simple when you say that : “NOTHING TRUMPS THE TRUTH…..
    and the TRUTH is best found in open, unrestricted public discussions. …Bushie sees this on BU every damn day….”

    Surely we have seen just the opposite in too many instances …
    1) Lies can and have ‘trumped’ truth repeatedly
    2) Disinformation, fabrications and complete nonsense is also best found in ‘open, unrestricted public discussions’

    We should always applaud every truth that validates and saves a victim of scandalous make-believe but evidently the price we pay in allowing complete unrestricted distribution of nonsense is causing a deepening problem.

    Unfortunately it’s unlikely that most of us will sensibly determine what’s a ‘Truth’ social network of make-believe repeated lies, when a FaceBook post is totally inaccurate, when a ‘Tweet’ is a ‘bloody’ insane rant of foolishness or when a PR statement from ministry officials abuses common-sense …

    … Lies will often ‘trump’ truth’!

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  5. Bush Tea October 28, 2022 8:21 AM #: “What innocent until proven guilty what??!!”

    Bush Tea

    Seems as though you’re advocating the return of ‘vigilante justice.’

    “The discomfort the guy you referred to “suffered for a while,” was as a result of people, such as yourself, who were “much more comfortable with a position of ‘suspect until proven innocent’,” rather than being interested in the “THE TRUTH.”

    Whether we may agree or not, the reality is, anyone accused of committing a crime is presumed to be innocent until he/she has been proven guilty in a Court of law (i.e., presumption of innocence).

    This LEGAL principle is UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED as a FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT and a ‘core principle in the administration of criminal justice.’

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  6. re “More questions than answers” and “Waiting for a leak?”! … Gentlemen, one thinks the questions have bene answered and the leaks already handled by the plumbers!

    Is the question : Did the customs officials prematurely (and thus deliberately) intercept the shipment BEFORE it was collected (and thus get a definitive lead on where it was going)! … Answer: Very Likely

    Is the question: could the officials have used any of the ubiquitous tracking tech (surely they have access to some sophisticated options) to monitor this shipment and spring a ‘surprise’ raid at the crucial moment! …

    Answer: No, because that would have caused deep problems and surely our officials just want to SHOW that they are doing their job and cannot actually disrupt or destroy the deep criminal gun enterprise firmly entrenched!

    Clearly there was a leak about the guns possibly being shipped … which led to another leak about the guns possibly being discovered … which led to a win-win for the customs officials (we are doing our job) and a pissed-off lost-win for the perps who are still in charge and still mostly unknown!

    And one other question – as in all these cases – so if this was caught and we reflect on the Bajan-Yankee gun runner who got caught a year or so ago and we reflect on the other container that was intercepted on the streets several years ago … how many OTHER instances are there when runners and shipments succeeded!!! … Answer: Many!

    This test survey questionnaire is very simple — no difficult questions atall … and the leaks were done to serve a ‘good’ purpose too!🤣😎

    All looks good to me (a variation of Chaos Theory at its absolute best: ‘When the present appears to determine the future, but the apparent reality present before us actually determines a completely different unexpected future).

    I gone.

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  7. @Bush Tea
    I was soft peddling the post because I hoped I was missing info, but if you ship a barrel, the shipping company records your name, address etc.; the name and contact info of the consignee is also recorded. The documents to clear the consignment are forwarded to the shipping company’s rep on the island.
    Yuh can’t tell me that the powers that be don’t know who the items were shipped to, so the question why no arrests?

    BTW remember the guy in Georgia who received a jail sentence for attempting to ship guns to Barbados? Yuh think this was his first dance? Yuh think that the shipping companies don’t have his name and all the other times that items got through? Still no arrests in Barbados

    Is there a cover up?

    @David
    What leak are you talking about? Law enforcement like to parade suspects when they intercept guns etc. and they like to let the public know that arrests have been made.

    Meanwhile the operative word is “Duck”

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  9. Answer: No, because that would have caused deep problems and surely our officials just want to SHOW that they are doing their job and cannot actually disrupt or destroy the deep criminal gun enterprise firmly entrenched!

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    SOME OF YOU ON THE 2X3 ISLAND CONTINUE TO AMAZE ME AND CONTINUE TO SEEMINGLY IGNORE WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU.EVERY DAY.

    IN THE USA VERY FREQUENTLY ONE READ ONLINE OR WATCH VIDEOS OF US POLICE BEING CAUGHT AND CHARGED FOR PLANTING EVIDENCE, MURDER, ASSUALT, DRUG DEALING, CONSPIRACY, ILLEGAL GUN TRAFFICKING ETC.

    THESE US POLICE GET PAID AN ANNUAL AVERAGE SALARY OF US$56,500 A YEAR AND YET GET INVOLVED IN CRIME.

    https://www.bing.com/search?q=average+salary+of+police+officer+in+usa&cvid=c04b6b1e9efc4b17af538d4ba3241279&aqs=edge.2.69i57j0l6.14139j0j4&FORM=ANAB01&PC=EDGEDB

    ON THE 2X3 ISLAND POLICE OFFICERS AVERAGE SALARY BD$2200/US$1100 A MONTH OR AROUND US$13000 A PITTANCE WHEN COMPARISON IS MADE.

    https://www.bing.com/search?q=average+salary+of+police+officer+in+BARBADOS&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=average+salary+of+police+officer+in+barbados&sc=0-44&sk=&cvid=11AE1680773840E2A101621E60ADB52A&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl=

    SO, YOU DON’T THINK MANY OF THE LOCAL POLICE ARE NOT WORKING FOR THE DRUG LORDS, INVOLVED IN THE GUN RACKET AND WITH THE STRIP CLUB OWNERS MOSTLY CRIMINAL DEPORTEES FROM THE US/CANADE ETC WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THEIR CLUBS AS PART OF ANOTHER CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY.

    CUSTOMS OFFICERS AND IMMIGRATIONS OFFICERS ARE ALSO INVOLVED.

    HOWEVER, SOME WOULD LIKE TO IGNORE OR PRETEND DOESN’T EXIST WHICH IS VERY RAMPANT ON THE 2X3 WHERE PRICES ARE HIGH AND ENFORCEMENT GETS PAID PEANUTS FOR THEIR REGULAR WAGES.

    THAT’S WHY WILL GET WORSE AND NOT BETTER AS THE TOP CRIMINAL PLAYERS ALSO KNOW THEY HAVE PROTECTION FROM THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT ALONG WITH THEIR POLICE PROTECTORS AND BENEFACTORS.

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  10. Internal investigation into leak of file
    Another internal investigation has been launched within the Barbados Police Service (BPS).
    Acting Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce yesterday confirmed that a senior officer was assigned to look into the recent leak of a file that detailed the accounts of a woman who accused Member of Parliament Neil Rowe of raping her in September.
    “We have launched an investigation and I can assure you that it is assigned to a very senior officer who is mandated to get results and have his findings before us by the week after next week,” Boyce said.
    Boyce said he was confident in the ability of the officer who was assigned.
    “I had a conversation with him this morning and I am satisfied that he is making progress. He has to do a lot of probing and be supported by the technical team. I would be disappointed if he cannot measure up to what we expect from him,” he said at Police Headquarters.
    This internal investigation follows another internal investigation launched earlier this month after a man accused staff at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of acting irresponsibly as he reported an attempted carjacking at Mason Hall Street on October 1.
    Boyce said the final report is expected next week.
    “That investigation came to me and I reviewed it and I recognised there is a gap in the structure so I asked the investigator to make sure that particular gap is filled. I think next week is the final reporting time as it relates to that voice note matter.
    “However I am satisfied that they did a good job in terms in tracking responses and tracking who could have been responsible for any interactions with that particular individual,” he added.
    (TG)


    Source: Nation

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  11. I don’t expect anybody to get fingered for that leak unless it is the cleaner, visitor to the station at the time or other lowly person.

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    • @CA

      Your misanthropic view seems to be one that is gaining traction here there and everywhere. When our distrust of public institutions deepen it is time to shout – Houston we have a problem!


  12. I had a different take
    It could be a way to get rid of a good man.
    If he fails to find the leaker, everyone knows and his career path changes.
    If he succeeds and identifies fellow officers, he may find himself working in a ‘hostile’ environment
    Lose-lose
    Just games

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  14. Given certain things that are happening and UNFOLDING worldwide, just want to make it very clear, i am not closely aligned with any BLP blog in any way, and as indicated very clearly every day for the past 10 years, never was closely aligned with BU, neither is AOP who is days away from a 1st anniversary…

    CYA is a real ting.

    of course i have no problem doing a daily and very temporary walk through as media, but none of that constitutes alignment of any kind.

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  15. What a place!

    So when ‘Ras Dickimus’ on the Block is arrested in handcuffs for suspected rape of his neighbor, and the photo splashed all over the news the next morning, along with all the juicy details, ….will a senior police officer investigate how THAT is leaked too?

    Or perhaps there is a hierarchy – with a certain point above which it becomes a leak..?

    What if a witness to the crime was a reporter? …or just a citizen who likes to call Brass Tacks? Will that witness then be charged for ‘leaking’ the truth?

    When Bushie waits for Cuhdear to alight from her ZR, pull her in the grass, and let her have her way with the bushman…. Can Bushie now be ASSURED that this will remain relatively private information – until the case is called in 2038?

    Are there any people in leadership with ANY ability to THINK???

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  16. Bushman…i wish you luck, keep chipping away, you may one day remove the fools, if Karma doesn’t first….Karma and Retribution ALWAYS WIN.

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  17. How does one educate SCHOOLED FOOLS…

    has the human rights abuses against minor children and their parents, CRIMINAL and ILLEGAL human rights violations via a dangerous and insidious pedophile survey been addressed….or an INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED to see WHO gave permission for that CRIME against humanity….we already know who PERPED IT…

    when does addressing animal cruelty trump addressing human rights violations against the Afrikan population..

    who are the REAL TERRORISTS HERE..

    “Prime Minister Mia Mottley has chastised animal rights activists who she chided for waging a public campaign that portrays Barbados as a nation that turns a blind eye to animal cruelty”

    ““Let us be clear that we need to take that off the table because then that is a form of terrorism against the state,

    “She declared that the actions of these individuals were tantamount to “terrorism against the state”, “”

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  18. @Theo saw the problem with the following
    +++++++
    “I had a conversation with him this morning and I am satisfied that he is making progress. He has to do a lot of probing and be supported by the technical team. I would be disappointed if he cannot measure up to what we expect from him,”
    +++++++++++
    Folks this is the Comm. Of Police speaking, ah mean give me a break, doesn’t the buck stop at his office? If the desired result is not forthcoming, then blame an individual for same not “we” as a group nor me as the Head of the organisation.

    A correct response would be “We are investigating the leak”…..full stop

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  20. Support for revised sex-ed programmes
    What began as a public outcry regarding the lack of prior parental consent for the issue of the IDB survey to some first form students has now morphed into a protest (by some) against the teaching of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in schools. This debate catapulted me back to events in my childhood I had long forgotten.
    Back then, there was a book entitled “ On Becoming a Woman” which in large part gave information to pre-teen girls on puberty, menstruation and female genitalia. When my father learned that my older sister had been given the book at age 12 he forbade her from reading it.
    Similarly, when he learned we were being taught about puberty, menstruation and sex in guidance class, my father telephoned my all-girls school to insist that “his girls” should not be taught these “inappropriate lessons”.
    The lesson on puberty did no more than teach us about the changes girls experience during puberty and prepared us for menstruation. The lessons on sex consisted of biological charts of the male and female genitalia, an explanation that pregnancy occurred after menstruation and when a sperm fertilised an egg, plus lots of admonitions against any sexual activity or pregnancy. The lesson didn’t even explain how the sperm could get into the female body.
    Despite his efforts to shield us from learning about these things, we eventually learned it in some form from our peers, books, and some tv shows (he hit the roof when he learned we watched the episode of the Cosby Show where Rudy got her period).
    Were it not for those guidance classes I would not have known what to do when I began menstruation because my parents never had “the talk” with me.
    Their method was avoidance and fear; avoid the uncomfortable topics and make us fearful enough of them (and of hell) to keep us from boys and all sexual activity. I remained relatively ignorant about sex well into my early twenties as I was raised in a space that glorified ignorance and naivety as some form of innocence and purity. But there were so many ways that ignorance caused me disservice as a young adult.
    Fear of the unknown
    I recognise that Comprehensive Sexuality Education cannot truly compare to lessons on puberty or the biology of sex. I used the illustration to show that people often fear what they don’t know, what causes them discomfort or offends their sensibilities.
    My father’s protests were all based in these things and in his desire to protect us. But there must be a balance between protecting young children from age inappropriate information versus keeping them unnecessarily ignorant of certain realities that exist in the world and that they will eventually face in some form. “You can be in the world and not of the world”.
    The reality is children will be (and likely are) exposed to issues of sexuality in some way through the internet, social media, tv shows and everyday life. Perhaps the focus should be on imparting your value systems to your children. Talk to them about these uncomfortable subjects and the beliefs you hold and allow them to express their views and ask questions.
    Let them hear it from you first, rather than from their young peers, the internet or a curriculum with which you don’t agree and trust that this will influence how they process
    any instruction they receive on CSE. But also remember that at some stage children will grow up and may choose a different path from the one you hoped.
    Hopefully the core values you imparted will nonetheless remain.
    The emphasis should be on holding the Ministry of Education to account. They already dropped the ball by failing to ensure the removal of inappropriate questions from the IDB survey. The International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education states in its foreword that “like the original Guidance, this revised version is voluntary . . . and designed to support countries to implement effective sexuality education programmes adapted to their contexts”. Parents should hold the Ministry to the fire to ensure that any sexuality curriculum adopted, reflects the Barbadian and Caribbean context.
    Michelle M. Russell is an attorney at law with a passion for employment law and labour matters, as well as being a social activist.
    Email mrussell.ja@gmail.com.

    Source: Nation

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  22. As usual, those who are NOT INTELLECTUALLY EQUIPPED or educated on certain topics, do no research, but jump out to give their unqualified opinions….to cause more confusion.

    unless educated otherwise, i would stick to what i know and have expertise in.

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  23. Theo…unless they lock up the store owner criminal, this is the true definition of a 9-day wonder to be replayed against soon at a later time and place. ..

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  24. @David, the essay from Ms Russell exactly explains the dilemma of life we face now and for many a year regarding educating adolescents. What she describes in her personal look back in Jam is a story repeated across the region and the world but she couches her words as if to deny the evidence and fundamentally blunt truth of them.

    There is nothing PERHAPS that parents’ focus “should be on imparting [their] value systems to [their] children” In fact her comments clearly show that’s exactly what happened to her and her siblings and in so many other cases. One example was the parents in US who named their son Adolf Hitler Campbell and a daughter JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. Undoubtedly those siblings were been indoctrinated to their parents belief system in a very similar way (VERY different context, of course) to young Michelle and her sibs!

    Naturally, as she also then suggests the role we would all want parents to truly focus to their children is to “talk {…] about uncomfortable subjects and the beliefs […] and allow them to express their views and ask questions” not attempt to make them ‘mini-clones’!

    And just as naturally school official mandated by education departments ATTEMPT to do just THAT … our problem is we are deeply angry that those officials are giving our children too much freedom to express their views and ask the type so questions we consider are beyond their level of maturity to properly understand what they think they need to know!

    As you often say “Houston We Have a PROBLEM”!

    Mr Russel’s concerns of the 1960s or 70s are the same as those of all the parents in 2022 who don’t want transgenderism or alternate lifestyles taught to their impressionable youth … and unfortunately just as then, now there is still absolutely no practical way of managing that naturally occurring vortex!

    Good piece.

    Lata. Upcoming screenshot!

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  25. 🌍 Magnificent a.k.a Magno – Yu Heard Formula: C₂₁H₃₀O₂ IUPAC ID: (−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl- 3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro- 6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol [[[ONE LOVE ONE WORLD ♡ ♥ 💕 ❤ 😘 🌍]]] on said:

    As usual, those who are NOT INTELLECTUALLY EQUIPPED or educated on certain topics, do no research, but jump out to give their unqualified opinions….to cause more confusion.

    unless educated otherwise, i would stick to what i know and have expertise in.

    Bu would be high brow and intellectual if it was not for the music
    We have to bring the standards down and dumb it down with nonsense
    Sabotage
    Roots and Culture Style

    Cobra Style

    Cobra Style (Dub Version)

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  26. ” Equally disturbing however, is that fact that the public believes that it is okay to post these images and videos on social media because they feel now as though the only way that you’re going to get any kind of satisfaction from complaining about the behaviour of the police is if ya tek a picture or video and you post it all over social media to show that the police have entered your community.”
    Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw, Nation Newspaper, Monday , October 31st.2022.
    (Note: Ms. Bradshaw, is also an attorney at law).

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  27. last
    epaper: ‘MP says church must do more to fight crime’

    One blaming the parents
    A next putting some of the blame on the church
    Who is next? Teachers, ̶l̶a̶w̶y̶e̶r̶s̶, doctors, engineers

    Wouldn’t it better to say “we can’t fix dis ting. every man for heself’
    Look heah. I aint stikking round befo they start blaming me.

    Have a great day y’all.

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  29. Why wunnah don’t stop fretting? All is safe and well in Bim otherwise the PM couldn’t afford to take a few days off. Yuh know she does work hard and this couch potato gets tired watching her jetting from place to place, giving speeches, solving problems and then she has to return to Bim and gotta work even harder as she discovers that many hands aint working, so she deserves a little R &R. De only concern I have is we don’t know when de other Ministers take time off, but we know that they are always on de job.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/10/30/pm-mottley-on-leave-from-today-until-november-3/

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  30. “(Note: Ms. Bradshaw, is also an attorney at law).”

    we all know when politicians are looking for attention they also post shite to the media or gallop up and down like world stage ponies..

    William…good news, Pacha will be pleased to hear, am sure, that someone is taking the lead on the continent, complete with translators and giving us 200 chapters of our real Afrikan word from Genesis to Revelations….as created by our ancestors…all we needed was patience and positive prompting.

    and not the utter shite stolen, twisted and polluted that can be found in the negro slave bible for fools. slaves …and idiots..

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  32. You are as qualified as Lawson is in clicking.

    Come out, come out, wherever you are, Lawson! You have no reason to be ashamed. Your qualified “attorney” has won the case! The BU court now rules that you are not in fact a racist but rather an expert in clicking.

    Murdaaaaaaaaaaaah!

    That exchange marked the day I gave up on this bullshit. Who can take this seriously?

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  33. cuddear, just heard Bushman’s friend Petra Wickie was “terminated unilaterally”….what a tragedy, good riddance to public nuisances who have nothing to offer but their ignorance..

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  35. The whole sordid nasty, illegal plans they had for these minor children, without their parent’s knowledge or consent is now out there for everyone to read.

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  36. BU on my android is horrible.
    Am I the only one who thinks we underwent a major screw-up.

    Will your politeness and care about hurt feelings silence you.

    Damn you, say something.

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