As far as three respected political scientists are concerned, Neil Rowe does not have to step down as Member of Parliament for St Michael North West because he has been charged with rape.
Dr George Belle, Senator Dr Kristina Hinds and Peter Wickham believe the system should be given a chance to work before any decision is made regarding Rowe’s political future.
Rowe, 43, was granted $10 000 bail when he appeared in court on Monday morning, to face the indictable charge of raping a woman on September 18, 2022.
Since news broke over the weekend that he had been charged, there have been several calls for him to step down as MP.
However, Belle, a renowned political scientist, told Barbados TODAY he saw no reason for Rowe to relinquish the seat he has held since 2018.
“You can’t judge a man on the basis of him being charged, you have to give him his rights. He has not been found guilty, he has not been convicted so there’s nothing else to say. The man is charged, let him go to court and let the police and the prosecution make their charges,” he insisted.
“In our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. I am saying that he is in court, leave him in court. He is under charge and he is supposed to be open to a free and fair trial.”
Dr Hinds, Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Head of the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, shared a similar view and pointed out that other MPs in the region and internationally had chosen not to step down while facing charges.
And while she admitted Rowe was facing “serious allegations”, Dr Hinds said it would not be fair to judge him based on those accusations.
“In other places, MPs have carried on with similar accusations against them. The one that I can think of ongoing right now is in Australia where there is an MP who has been charged and the investigation is ongoing and he has continued in his constituency even though he has been asked not to show up at Parliament. So it’s not unusual for this to happen.
“There are instances where persons have decided that it is better for them to step down and not to form a distraction for the political party or for the constituents, so I think that is something that this particular MP needs to perhaps seek some guidance on, get some advice from his political party and perhaps others who can appropriately advise,” the Independent Senator said.
“This is a very serious allegation and I don’t think it is one that should be treated lightly, even though we know persons are innocent until proven guilty…. But I do agree that we need to let the system work and I hope this will see a very fair outcome for all parties involved.”
Wickham, a political consultant and Director of the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES), said he saw no reason for Rowe to quit.
“It is unfortunate that the issue has arisen but in the final analysis, we have to wait to see what the judgement of the court is. The individual is charged and I think we have to be careful not to rush to judgement on him,” he said.
“There is a process and the process will require that he has his opportunity to face his accuser and to put his side of the story and a competent jury will decide the outcome of things, and I think it is best to make final judgement thereafter.
“In the meantime, the Prime Minister has relieved him of his responsibility to Parliament in respect to his role as Deputy Speaker. I think that’s entirely reasonable,” Wickham added.
The respected political scientist said that despite Rowe’s legal troubles, he did not believe this was “the end of the line” for him.
“I think that from this point onward, we need to be very careful not to prejudge the outcome of the process. I see no basis on which he should resign as an MP, because he has been charged and he has been accused, he has not been convicted. The point at which there is a conviction recorded or he is completely exonerated, then we can look at that but the haste in rushing to judgement is undue,” he said.
Rowe became an MP after surprisingly defeating incumbent Chris Sinckler in the 2018 general elections and was subsequently successful in the 2022 polls when he held off a challenge from the Democratic Labour Party’s Ryan Walters.
