Months after Barbados officially removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and become the world’s newest republic, at least six more Caribbean countries are planning to become republics and leave the monarchy. The six countries include Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis. Officials in these countries in the Caribbean, where Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, have signalled that they intend to remove the monarch as their sovereign and become republics.
Members of the British royal family made two separate trips to the Caribbean this year amid the rising anti-empire sentiments in the region. They were welcomed by massive protests at every stop of their tour. Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas in March where the local protesters called them for a formal apology for their family’s role in the enslavement and brutalization of Africans.
Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex recently concluded their six-day Caribbean trip on 28th April 2022 after visiting Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Their planned stop at Grenada was postponed.
Colonial rule in the Caribbean countries
Even though the British Colonial rule have ended in almost all former colonies, several of them have retained the Queen as their symbolic head of the states. Out of 54 former British colonies, the Commonwealth nations, there are 14 countries outside of the United Kingdom where the queen is head of state, including several in the Caribbean. These countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu. While these countries are ruled by their own government headed by a Prime Minister or a President, the queen appoints a representative in those countries, such as a governor general, as per recommendation of the local govt. The Commonwealth does not make laws but provides trade links between countries and, in some cases, a foundation for resolving disputes.
Even though the Queen is the symbolic head of these nations, the Caribbean nations no longer want that, and want to become republic, just like most formal colonies have done. It is notable that Independent India also had the British monarch, King George VI at that time, as the head of the state for three years after the independence, until India became a republic in 1950.
The Caribbean nations no longer want a head of the state that do not belong to their country, and want to elect their own head. More importantly, they want to cut all ties with their former empire which had enslaved and tortured their ancestors.
Verene Shepherd, the chair of Jamaica’s National Commission on Reparations and chair of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, said, “The move towards republicanism is grounded in the belief that it’s time for formerly colonized nations to really live their independence and claim self-determination and not be under a monarchical system.”
Countries that are planning to become sovereign republics
According to reports, Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis are seeing strong support to become republics. After the Caribbean nation Barbados removed the Queen as the head of the state in November last year, it was expected that it will have domino effect in the region. Joe Little, a Royal expert and the managing editor at Majesty Magazine, said that it is “inevitable” that other countries will follow Barbados in removing the Queen as head of state. “There is an inevitability that others will follow possibly during the present reign or maybe not until we are into the reign of King Charles the III, but that remains to be seen,” Little had said.
During the visit of Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton to Jamaica, they faced massive protests demanding an apology for centuries of enslavement of Africans by the British colonial rulers. While the prince expressed his “profound sorrow” and said “slavery was abhorrent”, he refrained from an apology, angering the Jamaicans. Most Jamaicans want their country to become a republic, according to opinion polls.
In fact, it can happen this year itself, as both the ruling party and the main opposition party support the demand. Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Prince Willian directly that they are removing the Queen as their head, when he publicly said, “We are moving on, and we intend to fulfil our true ambitions.” He said that the country will fulfil “its true ambitions as an independent, developed and prosperous country in short order”.
Jamaica has already created a new ministry giving a clead indication of moving away from the monarchy. The govt has created a legal and constitutional affairs ministry, and planning to overhaul and update local laws. The ministry will preside over the process to shift Jamaica’s status as a constitutional monarchy. A referendum to become a republic is expected to be held this year in Jamaica.
The Royal family visits to the region has actually ignited demands in the countries in the region to become republics. The Bahamas visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has sparked the debate in the country. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has said that he supports discussions on the matter, and that the Bahamians will decide the nation’s future.
He said, “The Royal tour inspired a degree of commentary about the monarchy’s role: in Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, in the United Kingdom, and in fact, worldwide. This was expected, especially in modern democracies such as ours, where the right to freedom of expression remains fundamental and constitutionally protected.”
Belize has also signalled about its intention to remove the British monarch as the head of the state. The government in the country has established a People’s Constitutional Commission under the Constitutional and Political Reform Ministry, to conduct consultations across the country on the decolonisation process.
A minister recently said in the parliament, “the decolonisation process is enveloping the Caribbean region. Perhaps it is time for Belize to take that next step in truly owning our independence. But, it is a matter that the people of Belize must decide on.”
Similar voices are also being heard in Antigua and Barbuda, where the Prime Minister Gaston Browne told Prince Edward that while the Queen will remain head of the for some time, here are people who would like the country to become a republic. Prince William expressed his support for countries wishing to become republics, and he said that “relationships evolve” and “friendship endures.”
However, it may take some time in Antigua and Barbuda, as the govt is preferring a thorough transition. Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Social Transformation, Human Resource Development, and the Blue Economy, Dean Jonas said, “That is something [that] will probably take a while. When we have to do that, there has to be an educational campaign, there has to be a process of looking at the constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, coming up with the appropriate wording. So it will take a while before Antigua and Barbuda reaches the state before we can ever contemplate that.”
General elections in Antigua and Barbuda are scheduled in next year, and there are proposals to hold both the election and the referendum together to save costs. But the minister said he prefers to hold both separately, because if held together, the issue of referendum to ditch the British Royals can become politicised.
In the meanwhile, black and indigenous groups across Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas have come together to demand slavery reparations from Britain and to remove the Queen as head of state in each country. The Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC), the Advocacy Network in Jamaica and the indigenous Maya people of Belize staged protests during the Caribbean visit of the Royal family, calling the tour by William and Catherine a charm offensive tour.
At the end of the tour, rince William acknowledged that the monarchy’s days in Caribbean nations may be numbered, especially in Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas which he visited. He said that the future “is for the people to decide upon”.
However, the process of removing Queen Elizabeth as a sovereign is different in different countries, as their constitutions are different. In the case of Barbados, it was done by a two-thirds majority of the parliament house. In countries like Jamaica and Grenada, removing Elizabeth as head of state would first require a constitutional change that may take two to three years. Most of the countries will need a public referendum for the change.
