Change the first sentence of this piece to read…
THE ETHICS EXHIBITED by top elected government officials are directly related to the level of fraud found throughout the country’s government service.
… and you will see the relevance of this article.
It is all about leadership, folks – and for the last dozen years, the example at the top has been a bad one.
From The Nation News…
Fraud Acts Linked To Bosses’ Ethics
THE ETHICS EXHIBITED by top management are directly related to the level of fraud found throughout a company.
This was one point made by Gordon Moore, president of Sepia Associates of Pennsylvania, United States, at an all-day fraud prevention and detection seminar held by his company at the Grand Barbados Hotel in Aquatic Gap, St Michael, last Tuesday.
The fraud expert told participants that once employees saw fraudulent actions committed at the top, they would rationalise that if the boss could do it, so could they.
Moore also told the participants – drawn from banks, credit unions and other financial institutions – that there was no such thing as small fraud.
Drawing on his experience in the United States and Switzerland, Moore said if an employee was caught with
a small amount, it either meant that not all of the fraud had been detected or the person was only getting started.
Moore also highlighted that 60 per cent of all fraud committed was found out by accident or through tip-offs and not through internal controls.
This, he said, meant management had to be more proactive when it came to detecting fraud in their companies, not just wait to stumble across it.
He advised participants to keep an eye out for employees who were living beyond their means and exhibited unusual behaviour such as working through vacation periods or while on sick leave which, he said, indicated they were working double time trying to cover their tracks and prevent others from finding out what they were doing.
… read the original article at the Nation News (link here)
22 Comments
March 19, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Wait a minute BFP. Not all government officials should be tarred with this brush. There are lots of caring, honorable and honest people who serve us every day and they are appreciated.
However it is their duty to help put a stop to it by identifying those who are involved. While we don’t have whistle blower laws in Barbados we do have the Barbados Free Press which is letting light into the shadows.
We saw Gline Clark and his special deal for his sweetheart completely unmasked on BFP. We saw Owen Arthur called to task for the sweetheart deals he has made for his friends etc. etc. (Is his wife on the public payroll?)
To make for change on this island we need people to step forward and tell it like it is otherwise we are doomed to allow the feasting at the public trough to continue while what is on our own tables becomes more expensive and sparse.
March 19, 2007 at 2:41 pm
People who remain silent are as guilty as those who they are hiding up for.
March 19, 2007 at 3:31 pm
I understand money was credited to an individual’s personal bank account recently, intended for a political party.
Do Barbados political parties not have bank accounts, for the purpose of receiving donations to the party, and if so why are they not used for the purpose intended?
I must emphasise the above is not an underhand comment at any person, or particular party. It is a concern about “open” politics in every sense of the word.
If individual bank accounts are used for political donations, how are we to know ” how much ” of the donation is for the party, and how much for another source.
I am not making an allegation of corruption – far from it – I am making the obvious, that such a system is open to corruption.
Most large contributors, look on contributions to a political party as an investment, we should be concerned about the returns either perceived or “real” on that investment.
March 19, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Dairy Meadows
March 19, 2007 at 6:02 pm
I have already paid Mr.Arthur to make you people suffer terribly,we are only waiting until world cup ends so he can give the population the bad bad news,then we have a private plane waiting for him when the revolution starts to fly him out and join us to watch the agony and anguish unfold in your beautiful country.
Sincerely
The IMF Boss.
March 19, 2007 at 10:13 pm
okay can we have an explanation of who wrote the check. Is it Dairy Meadows? Who are they? Who was the check made payable to and in which amount? What is Dairy Meadows connection to government pork or influence?
Thanks
March 19, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Anonymous
When Dairy Meadows is googled, villas in the vicinity of Holders come up.
Is it that Dairy +Meadows + Holders = Mr. Babb or am I adding 2 +2 and getting O$A when I should be getting 4?
Come on Anonymous, give us a clue?
March 19, 2007 at 11:26 pm
IMFBoss
you are a coward and so is Mr. Arthur. You have underestimated the power, will and tanicity of the black barbadians to survive.
The revolution will give us back our fields and hills. Stop coming on this blog with your psycho mumbo jumbo. If you ain’t got nuttin to do go and mind the licks Mr. Chavez giving wunna – No one world order bout hey from you
March 20, 2007 at 4:44 am
Warrior
Why not try and survive as Barbadians, plain and simple.
After all, we have been doing that for generations and know how it is done.
Why the sudden change?
March 20, 2007 at 5:23 am
Royalrumble,
By the way tell Owen shutting down his ” system ” 40 minutes before closing time in Parliament on Friday night – only FURTHER demonstrated to Barbadians that he did want to be EXPOSED any further on NATIONAL TV….!!!
But tell Owen wait for the televised DEBATES…..!!!
WE gine LICK he DENTURES out he MOUTH…..!!!
THAT………LYING……. CONNIVING…STAMMERING….SHAKING…… SWEATING……..PIRATE….he is……..!!!
March 20, 2007 at 6:05 am
Owen stated a few weeks ago that he will leave no stone UNTURNED during this General election campaign…!!
A pity he CANNOT speak the TRUTH…!!!
If Thompy did not tell we ’bout that $ 750,000.00 Mega Six Campaign Funds Cheque…..!!
Owen woulda left the BIG ROCK lying down pon UM down there in St. Peter…..!!!
Cahn TRUST a TIEF like you, OWEN…..!!!
March 20, 2007 at 8:52 am
Quote: ” why not try and survive as Barbadians, plain and simple.” unquote
Because a ” selected few” have not got to ” “survive ” they are doing nicely.
The majority of Barbadians might be perceived as plain, but we are certainly not “simple.”
March 20, 2007 at 2:01 pm
This is all so depressing…..this country is being sold out by Owen…
He may turn out to be more destructive than huricane Katrina
We need to start compiling a list on BFP of all the kickbacks these BLP Politicians have been receiving from tenders, construction projects, land, etc……
Let us let Owen know we are aware of all the thiefing and then let’s put some pressure on Thompy to introduce adequate legislation as an election promise.
March 20, 2007 at 3:06 pm
As for Owing for him to have helped his image in any way there are a few things he ought to have done some while ago it is a little to late to attempt them now has the horse is already out of the stable.
Let me state that if we were serious about our main revenue generator that is Tourism and it is allowed to wallow under the inept hands of Lynch who has done absolutely nothing meaningful in the time that he has held the post but expound a lot of nothing but hot air meanwhile giving the Carnival Cruise Lines Bds $ 36 mill for no good reason $ 30 mill to charter the Destiny and $ 6 mill to encourage them to keep coming to Barbados now having done this they leave Barbados at 5.00pm now even earlier than before the donation when they left at 11.00pm.
The minister with the bite has got to be Mia Mottley she has dabbled in many areas of the administration and has made a mess in each one she has played in the most outstanding one being the fiasco that she has overseen and that is the Visa requirement for CWC when she opened the Visa offices with less than three months to go to the launch of the CWC, let us not forget the disaster at the prisons and her awarding the new contract at a cost of over a million dollars more than the local quotation bearing in mind these same local contractors came to her rescue when she was in serious trouble and needed a jail built in a hurry but these ones that have been contracted where nowhere on the scene them to assist.
The Minister of the Environment for her willingness to proceed with Greenland despite all the advice to the contrary but she presses ahead anyway in the process wasting another $ 20 mill to what she has already wasted there the last time.
The minister of Health Jerome Walcott who seems to be out to sea with the happenings at the hospital under his care where people are now being told they cannot have operations unless they are prepared to pay for a private nurse in a private room because the recovery room is being used as part of the ICU unit now tell me is the recovery room not equipped with special monitoring equipment etc that is not available in a private room?
The minister of housing and lands for his skillful manipulating to obtain Gov’t property for housing for his woman and he is living there.
The Prime Minister himself is in a special league and if we are to deal with his corruption that is a blog by itself remember JAWS remember the land at Holders remember the Jail project over billed by in excess of a $ 100 mill remember the deals with Nicholls and remember the slot machines.
All of the above owe it to the people that they serve to apologise to the nation and then for them all to resign or be fired for gross mismanagement of public funds this is no minor case of stealing this is at the top level and growing it needs to be addressed and soon before we are all left pennyless.
March 20, 2007 at 5:23 pm
#
John
Warrior
Why not try and survive as Barbadians, plain and simple. After all, we have been doing that for generations and know how it is done.
Why the sudden change?
***************************************************
John
There is no sudden change just the deception of the gradual. Gradually the rug has been pulled out from under us, gradually our lands have been sold off to foreigners who have no interest but in selling us under – Check IMFBoss comment.
Gradually our morals have declined
Gradually our social structures and support has disappeared.
Gradually all there is, is a great divide between the haves and have nots, the “ain’t got much” and the got a lots.
I don’t know what looking glass you might be peering through but it is evident, even to those who occupy the land of the blind, that there is nothing simple about what we are experiencing, but rather a cold, premeditated, calculating, well thought out, well executed series of events, to stop us from surviving as “simple” Barbadians. As I said before, wake up and smell the coffee or rather stop drinking so much coffee, its dulling your senses and clouding your vision. Ask the COW, the Bizzy one, etc
While you now have a little more time on your hands from not drinking so much coffee, tell me why the not so simple Barbadians have to go off to England to get a nice white husband or wife, while keeping a little black girl or boy here as toys.
Tell me why we the “simple” Barbadians are referred to as some of the better blacks.
Tell me why only “simple” ones are the ones smelling hell and the not so simple ones get to ride around in the diplomatic cars in NY even when on personal business
Tell me why after massa day done, that the simple Barbadian now has to go back to calling the, not so simple Barbadian “Sir” which is bestowed on them willingly by a simple Barbadian Government.
No sudden change my friend, just, the Deception of the Gradual.
By the way, in that post it should have been tenacity. Sorry about the incorrect spelling
March 20, 2007 at 5:53 pm
You know all the talk I see about the simple, the have and have not and Bajan and Barbadian, I don’t know what to think.
I know class and the colour of ones skin get in the way alot of times, but we should try and see things as we would all want what’s best for our country.
I can’t or wouldn’t take any side as my own family is mixed as are my kids. I do know that for some it is easy and have been that way along time and it might never change.
People talk about white and black and that the whites only help their own, why then do black people not help their own out when they ge ahead?
I’ve heard many white people say black people don’t help their own because they don’t like to see one another with nothing.
Can anyone say that it isn’t so? Do people not do as the Owen and group is doing now looking out for themselves?
We should check what we are using our energy, for the country is in a state and it’s our love for it that keeps us coming to this blog.
We got free of the chains but not in the brain, in stop ways the thinking isn’t going to stop. Were only human and as long as we see only a few with alot that’s how we are going to think.
I know I’m going on, but I had to do alot of thinking about my move to Barbados of late. And I wanted to put my kids in public primary school and a bit out of fear I paid money for a private one. I’m still not happy with this and I know I’ll move them. Thing is you can never win sometimes no matter what the colour of ones skin is.
March 20, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Mr.Arthur has better things to do than worry about such trivial matters as “stolen money” or who has more than who,what you people should be worried about is where your next meal will come from after my people take over.
March 20, 2007 at 10:08 pm
According to today’s Express Newspaper in Trinidad when Panday went before McNicolls he was found ” guilty in April last year, and imposed the maximum penalty of two years in jail, $60,000 in fines and also made an order to forfeit $1.6 million, representing monies held in the foreign account during 1997 to 1999.”
“Panday, 73, had first complained that there was an appearance of bias on the part of McNicolls by his failure to disclose the receipt of a suspicious $400,000 cheque during the trial and as a result, his conviction and sentence had to be vacated. “
March 20, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Owen = Panday = Jail for suspicious $750,000
March 21, 2007 at 2:23 am
Warrior
Barbados has been going for 380 years, about 15 or 16 generations since settlement.
50 years have passed since Independence. That is about 2 generations.
What has happened to us in 2 generations is sudden, not gradual. We may well have done it to ourselves.
Prior to Independence we had overcome first the differences of Irish, Scottish, Welch and English tribes who were killing one another back in Britain.
We then overcame the differences of the different tribes from Africa many of whom did not speak the same language and probably as did the tribes from Britain, hated each others’ guts.
Then we overcame the differences among the tribes from Africa and those from Britain.
The last 50 years is nothing when compared to the previous 330 years of settlement.
We just need to figure out how to work together again as if we were on a Moses in the Ocean out of sight of land all with the common goal of survival ….. and with a major hurricane brewing.
March 21, 2007 at 2:46 am
To hell with the English! (just kidding)
March 21, 2007 at 10:51 am
The problem is the “misconception” that we got along, what happened was that people in Barbados with wealth kept it, and ensured it was passed on to their children and when none were available, to their friends, or similar types.
A system existed similar to that in the Southern States of America, before a property – economic business- was sold to a purchaser he/she had to be known to a chosen few he/she colour had to be the right shade -then funds would be available from the banks- there was always the fear that if you sold to the wrong person, you would be ostracised, or excluded from the group, this kept people in line.
In secondary schools, in universities, on talk shows, people are asking questions and the responses from those chosen, or who have decided to articulate the views of the privileged, are seen as uncaring and worst of all ” arrogant”, they have become puffed up and the majority of Barbadians do not like it.
The lion is at the door and their “arrogance” and feeling of “invicibility” have blinded them.