Statement by PM Mottley on MP Neil Rowe’s rape charge

Comrades and friends. We are a family and as brothers and sisters, we are there for each other in good times and in bad times.

It has been brought to my attention that a member of the Barbados Labour Party’s Parliamentary Group has had a very serious accusation levelled against them and consistent with the provisions of the law, he has been charged and is set to appear in court tomorrow morning.

I have been both a member of the Bar of this country and I have been a parliamentarian for almost 30 years, long enough to know and to respect the spirit and the intent of the Constitution of Barbados, which provides unequivocally for the separation of powers. It is not our place to intervene in the process of justice, but rather to secure the integrity of the critical institutions that preserve the rights of the individual in this country. And to ensure law, order and indeed good governance in Barbados.

My brothers and sisters and comrades, this cannot be easy for the persons involved, either of them. But as a responsible political party, we must acknowledge the rights of each of them. I would urge that as a mature people, we respect the privacy of all concerned and behave responsibly, particularly as it relates to the predictable social media onslaught that regrettably has already started against both persons.

I have every confidence in the independence and the integrity of the Barbados Police Service. I have every confidence in the independence and the integrity of our judiciary. And I ask, therefore, that we do not rush to judgment but permit a process, a due process that has been around for many centuries to work and to run its course. Thank you very much.