The Barbados Revenue Authority is aware that there is some vehicle registration application information circulating on the internet and social media and is actively investigating the incident. 

The security and privacy of our stakeholders is of utmost importance to us. The confidence and trust that individuals and businesses have in the Authority are the cornerstones of our systems.

We are currently working with our partners and law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the nature and scope of the reported incident.  

As the investigation continues we have to be mindful not to share information about the specific nature of the incident or of the security measures taken to address them, so as not to jeopardize the work of the investigators. The Data Commissioner has been informed of this incident and will continue to be updated.

The Authority understands that restricting access to the vehicle registration portal is disruptive to Barbadians, and we regret the inconvenience that these necessary precautions have caused for the public. 

The Authority advises the public to remain vigilant and monitor their personal account activity and be on the alert for any unusual activity or requests seeming to come from the Barbados Revenue Authority. If persons recognize any such activity, they should report such instances to our Data Privacy Officer at privacy@bra.gov.bb.  (PR/GIS)

The Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) presented its report today to the President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

After 27 months of intensive deliberations, the CRC has completed the mandate given to it in June 2022. Chairman of the CRC, Mr. Justice (rtd) Christopher Blackman, made the presentation at State House.

Dame Sandra thanked the members of the Commission for working assiduously to complete the report.

After handing over the document, Mr. Blackman told the Barbados Government Information Service that the Commission produced a report with several recommendations for a Constitution for Barbados.

“The draft Bill, which accompanies the report, expands the provisions of the current Constitution by more than 50 per cent, with a notable aspect being the greatly expanded Chapter on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. This has led to the recommendation for the establishment of a Human Rights Commission for Barbados.

“While the Commission has recommended the maintenance of the status quo in respect of matters such as the first-past-the-post outcome at elections and elections being called at the discretion of the Prime Minister, other proposals, limiting the powers of the Prime Minister on appointments and the like, have been proposed,” he shared.

Mr. Blackman added that there “are dissenting opinions on the Office of the President, in terms of whether the holder should be directly elected, and the qualifying criteria for the post, as well as in relation to the judiciary”. 

He said the CRC was deeply indebted to the drafting team of retired Justice of Appeal and former Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Sherman Moore, and acting Parliamentary Counsel, Gabrielle Whitehall, for their hard work and delivering within the specified timelines.

In an effort to give members of the public an opportunity to share ideas, comments and suggestions, the Commission held several town hall meetings locally, and met with various institutions, stakeholders, and persons in the diaspora.

Senator Gregory Nicholls was the Deputy Chairman of the Commission, while the other members were: Senator Reverend Dr. John Rogers; former Attorney General, Adriel Brathwaite; President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union, Mary-Anne Redman; Vice President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Kerryann Ifill; Muslim Chaplain at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Suleiman Bulbulia; businessman, Christopher deCaires; Attorney-at-law, Sade Jemmott, and student advocate, Khaleel Kothdiwala.

University of the West Indies lecturer, Professor Cynthia Barrow-Giles, served as Secretary to the Commission. (PR/GIS)

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has issued a challenge to world leaders to reset their efforts to save lives and the planet from the ravages of climate change and other ills that continue to threaten its existence.

During a wide-ranging address at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America, earlier today, Ms. Mottley insisted that the world had endured four years of polycrises and “as children of mother earth” continued to wrestle with the climate crises.

On that point, the Prime Minister reiterated that citizens continued to confront the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic; multiple theatres of war and “scenes of famine” flowing from that war; armed conflict instead of pursued development; rising cost of living; the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance; and the growing incidence of death and disability from chronic non-communicable diseases, among other ills.

“We cannot afford the distraction of war. If ever there was a time to pause and to reset, it is now!  Collectively, as an international community and individually as leaders in each of our countries, we must now deliver new opportunities and solutions to these crises which dampen economic growth… restrict the ambitions of our people and numb our sense of the beauty and goodness that the world ought to be offering…

“The reset for which I am calling and indeed, that our citizens are demanding, must see an end to all forms of discrimination…., Ms. Mottley said.

The Prime Minister also touched on the need for reparations for slavery and colonialism, pointing out that “the Caribbean is resolute that this must happen, and its resolution lies in a multi-generational approach…grounded in development”. 

She also flagged restricted access to capital for developmental projects, adding that the reset must also focus on a common agenda that reinforced the shared humanity that “binds us together”.

The Prime Minister said while there were some glimmers of hope, by way of agreements reached on major issues, she stressed that based on the “intervention of the Bridgetown Initiative and the Parish Pact for People and Planet, and the efforts of many across the board, we acknowledge that there is some hope, and it is evident in the beginnings of some of the reforms that we are seeing”.

She continued: “These are all important steps, but we cannot keep our eyes off the prize.  Barbados’ call for a fundamental reset includes attitudes and behaviour as much as actions and reform….” 

Ms. Mottley also spoke about the ongoing crisis in Haiti, an end to the US embargo against Cuba, the impact of Hurricane Beryl on Barbados’ fishing industry, among other topics. (PR/GIS)