Cabinet Secretary Sandra Ward is reported to be the only one from her office attending Cabinet meetings and taking her own notes in an effort to prevent leaks. It is reported that an officer has been allegedly stripped from her duties of taking notes and preparing Cabinet minutes.

Deputy Governor Mrs. Inez Archibald (left) chaired Cabinet meeting last week under the NDP. It was reported that under the VIP she never chaired Cabinet meetings. She is also a part of government's efforts to crack down on leaks. Hon. Ralph T. O'Neal OBE, Administration (2007-2011) endured many leaks and some have said that they have never seen such an effort to crack down on leaks with the NDP in power, as when the VIP suffered the same fate with weekly leaks.

Since taking office in November of 2011, media houses have been leaking Cabinet decisions before formal announcements are made, sometimes the formal announcement never comes.

However, leaks within government are nothing new, as this news site has already listed several leaks that occurred under the former Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Administration of Premier Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE.

It is our understanding that Cabinet Secretary Sandra Ward is the only one from her office that attends Cabinet meetings, along with Cabinet Members. The source told this news site that “she takes her own notes and has everything on a jump drive”.

In addition, a senior officer within the Cabinet office who usually takes notes and prepares minutes of the cabinet meetings has been allegedly stripped from her duties and reassigned to other functions within the Cabinet office, according to the same source close to the NDP. The name of the officer is unknown as of press time.

Cabinet Members have been outraged with the leaks to media houses of cabinet papers and government information in general and the Governor Boyd McCleary and Cabinet Secretary Ward, have been mandated to crack down on this situation.

Virgin Islands News Online was the first to accurately report that the United Kingdom appointed Governor McCleary had circulated a letter to public officers dated February 28, 2012 entitled: “Confidentiality in the Public Service” about confidentiality of Government Information and advised of disciplinary actions for violators. Since the letter, many civil services were required to take an oath/affirmation of secrecy according to what many of them have called to tell this news site.

Inez Archibald chairs NDP cabinet meeting
In her capacity as Acting Governor of the Virgin Islands, Mrs. Inez Archibald chaired the Cabinet meeting of last week.

It is believed that this may be her second time chairing a Dr. Orlando Smith Cabinet meeting. It has been reported that under the previous Ralph T. O’Neal Cabinet, Mrs. Archibald, the Deputy Governor never chaired a Cabinet meeting.

The reasons are unknown. However, it was also alleged that Mr. O’Neal, now the Leader of the Opposition and the VIP, had opposed the appointment of Mrs. Archibald to the post of Deputy Governor.

She had previously served as the Speaker of the House of Assembly (2003-2007) under an NDP Government. Hon. O’Neal, the longest serving Member of Parliament in the English speaking Caribbean, made it public that the government of the day should have a say in who the Deputy Governor is.

It remains unknown whether Mrs. Archibald’s tenure will be renewed once her contract expires within a few months. The Government has been tight lipped on this issue.

History of leaks between 2007-2011 under the VIP Administration
While the NDP Administration remains upset over leaks and are allegedly pointing fingers at public officers, the issues of leaks are nothing new in the Virgin Islands media culture and on the talk shows and the now opposition VIP had to endure its own leaks.

We all remembered the infamous letter from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), a highly classified letter to the former Premier Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE on the question of Biwater contingent liability and days before Mr. O’Neal had sight of the letter it was on the streets of Road Town and on the talk shows.

It was even reported that one person had the letter downloaded and scanned to their Ipad and was showing persons the confidential FCO diplomatic letter. When the story broke, Mr. O’Neal reported on a radio show that he had called Mark Vanterpool, now Minister for Communications and Works, to ask if it was him that had the letter on his Ipad.

One senior officer, a Permanent Secretary, retired prematurely over the leaked letter but was quickly returned to office in the Premier’s Office once the NDP Administration took power.

Last year, Lorie Rymer, a businessman and a former independent candidate for the 9th district seat, who was speaking at a community meeting on Virgin Gorda at the Ashford Walters Community Centre on Saturday April 30, 2011, made reference of the document that was signed by then Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Hon. Omar W. Hodge for the importation of Lemurs to Necker Island which he had obtained, even before the former Minister Hodge had made the information public.

Furthermore, many of the correspondences between Sir Richard Branson, a UK businessman, were leaked to the media, to talk shows and some individuals. Rymer even boasted of having a copy of the permit signed granting permission to import the Lemurs, and implied that civil servants continue to leak information when the VIP was in power.

Under the VIP Government, there were many leaks coming out of the Ministry of Education and Culture from cabinet papers, confidential letters between the then Minister Andrew A. Fahie and his former Permanent Secretary Carolyn O’Neal, movement of civil servants within the Ministry, and Public Service Commission recommendations for officers within the same Ministry, and the cost of some contracts even before they were signed and made public.

While the former Minister was very concerned over the leaks, Fahie never singled out any media house, nor advocated the closure of any Online News sites or taking any talk shows off the air.

During the 2011 election campaign, one NDP candidate seeking the 3rd district seat Kevin Smith had told the public that he had seen a copy of a Purchase Order (PO) on the Sea Cows Bay Harbour project, a PO signed between government and a private contractor. It is unclear whether the Purchase Order was leaked from the Ministry for Communications and Works or a contractor. The then former Minister Julian Fraser RA, never called for an investigation nor threatened the staff of the Ministry over the matter.

Also a letter was leaked from the BVI Electricity Corporation about the facilitation of an engine through Biwater. The letter was on the streets of Road Town, in the hands of Online News and the talk shows, causing the then NDP Opposition to demand an investigation, as to the purchase of an engine for the Corporation through Biwater.

Virgin Islands News Online has found many other leaked confidential information while the VIP was in power that usually was the topic for some talk shows. One talk show host who wishes to remain anonymous said, “There should be nothing private about government business…the NDP are acting like children with something to hide…they came to power through leaks, but, if they make any attempt to censor the media that will be the beginning of the end for them”.