The state of Barbados announced Wednesday it plans to remove Queen Elizabeth as its head of state next year and become a republic instead. It further said that by the time it celebrates its 55th anniversary of independence from Britain, the Caribbean island wants full sovereignty.
The Prime Minister of the country, Mia Mottley, quoted the first premier of Barbados in his speech, who warned against “loitering on colonial premises”. While reading the speech, Dame Sandra, the Governor-General of the country, said that it is high time to leave the colonial history behind.
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Sandra further added that the people of the country now want a Barbadian leader. However, in response, the Buckingham Palace said that removing the queen as its head of state is the matter for the people of the country and its government.
In 1966, the country gained its independence, however, to this day, the Queen of England remains its constitutional monarch. A few decades later, in 1998, a constitutional review committee recommended the republic status for the country. Then later, in 2015, Freundel Stuart, the former Prime Minister of Barbados, said that soon the country must move away from the monarchical system and become a republic.
Furthermore, in 2003, the government of Barbados took another step towards getting independence from Great Britain, when it decided to replace the London-based Judicial Committee with the country’s Court of Justice as its final court of appeal, located near Port of Spain in Tobago.
Meanwhile, many other Caribbean countries have kept their links with the monarchical system of government even after their independence from Britain. Barbados would become the next country to follow the steps of Dominica, Trinidad, Guyana, and Tobago to become a sovereign republic.
Moreover, Freundel Stuart, the Prime Minister of Jamaica has also said that it is the priority of his administration but has yet to get rid of the monarchical system.
