“Having attained Independence over half a century ago, our country can be in no doubt about its capacity for self-governance. The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind,” said Governor-General Dame Sandra Mason, delivering the Throne Speech during the Opening of Parliament on Tuesday.
On Sept 15th, it was announced that Barbados will remove Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of the state by November of next year. Which will make Barbados the first country to drop from the monarch in nearly three decades. However, Barbados is not the first former British colony in the Caribbean to become a republic. Guyana, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago all did so in the 1970s.
“Barbadians want a Barbadian Head of State. This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving,” Mason said.
Former Prime Minister of Barbados Freundel Stuart said Barbados would move towards a republican form of government “in the very near future“. Many Barbadians have expressed their concerns about The Queen being the head of the state prior to Barbado’s decision to become a republic. Some thought that Queen Elizabeth still being the head of Barbado’s was symbolic of lingering imperialism.
The administration of Prime Minister Mia Mottley will take “the next logical step” to make Barbados into a republic. If Barbados goes through with becoming a republic, it will join Trinidad and two other countries as members of Most Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) ‘Big Four‘ to cut ties with the monarchy.
Barbados moves to become a Republic and remove UK Queen
"time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind. Barbadians want a Barbadian Head of State. This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving."pic.twitter.com/wyg1F0mR4q
— ScottishPoliticsNews 🏴 (@ScoPoliticsNews) September 15, 2020
The Queen still is considered the head of the state to the United Kingdom and 14 other countries. Some of those countries being Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s press secretary from 1988 to 200 stated, “She is pragmatic enough to realize that it was only a matter of time before they decided to appoint their own head of state.” When asked how do you think Queen Elizabeth feels about the Barbado’s decision to become a republic.
After November of 2021, Barbados would be making its way of being a republic on its 55th anniversary of independence from the British empire. A huge but not surprising step for the country, but it only shows just how quickly the world is changing every day.
