Parliament gives green light to republican status
PRIME MINISTER Mia Mottley says much thought has gone into the decision to transition Barbados to a parliamentary republic, even as Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley raised concerns over the legality of the government’s intended move, despite declaring full support for the impending status.
Parliament voted by a 25-0 margin to amend the Constitution (Amendment) Bill to bring the republic into force by November 30.
Mottley told legislators that her administration was not rushing into republicanism, and that talks regarding the transition began more than two decades ago.
“There can be no rush, therefore, about this act. This act has taken long in coming and if we go back, we agreed that there are aspects that are certainly worthy of consultation and that is the majority of the work that relates to the constitution; we get that, and we are committed to that.”
She described as a “simple but functional bill” the constitutional amendment that would revoke the Barbados Order of 1966 as an Order in Council of Her Majesty, while keeping complete the Barbados constitution.
The amendment makes provision for a Barbadian to be a head of state, change the oath of allegiance from that to Her Majesty to now the state of Barbados, and to ensure continuity in all of the other aspects of the functioning of the state of Barbados through offices, appointments and commissions.
“This has been a conversation that has been taking place since December 1998. The fact that I was part of the cabinet that agreed to the establishment of this commission explains why I have so much grey hair now, because it has been a long journey. It has been a long journey.
“Indeed, one of my greatest regrets is that while there are a few who are still with us, the majority of persons who served on this commission and, in fact, the Cox Commission before, have gone to the Great Beyond.”
The government said that the change would bring to an end a British head of state of Barbados ever since English settlers landed here in 1625 and claimed the island for King James I, and Prime Minister Mottley maintained that the time had come for the transition as Barbados needed to be in complete control of all of its affairs.
She dismissed any notion that Barbados would change its name.
“What it does is allow us to close the circle with respect to independence and move to another state of our development, thereby allowing Barbadians to say to the world that we have the confidence in ourselves to be completely responsible for who we are and what we do and what we say, and all that surrounds itself with the nation of Barbados.
“This bill does nothing else but seek to make a Bajan the head of state of Barbados and is as simple as that, because that is the lacuna that will take us from one point to another. By also revoking the Order in Council, we make the clear statement that we want to be in control of our affairs as a republic.
“Without that, we will continue to always have doubts in the mind of our people as to whether we are truly independent and to whether we are truly in charge of our own destiny; because if we have to send to [Buckingham] Palace in order to confer honours, or we have to send to the Palace in order to appoint an ambassador to a non-Commonwealth country, then we do not and cannot say that all power resides and locates within the nation state of Barbados, and it is as simple as that.”
She told legislators that together with Atherley, they will make a joint nomination for the election of a president of Barbados, and a date will then be set for that election, and that she expects the process to take place this month.
Barbadians will also be notified as to when the new head of state would be sworn in.
But in his contribution, Atherley raised concerns over the legality of the government’s intended move to republican status, despite declaring full support for the move.
The opposition leader, citing unnamed members of the legal profession, said the manner in which the government was proceeding to move Barbados from a realm to a republic with a Barbadian head of state could be unlawful.