A black shroud hangs in the Antigua Parliament of Queen Elizabeth II. It covers the portrait of Elizabeth, a sign of mourning on the island and an unaware symbol of a possible future without a British monarchy in the Caribbean.
Analysts say the queen has fueled republican movements in a region once dominated by the British Empire, while calls for the crown to apologize for the sins of the slave trade and colonization remain.
Kate Quinn, associate professor of Caribbean history at University College London, “has entered mainstream ‘common sense’ discourse as a wider spectrum of society is preoccupied with issues and wondering if the monarchy is doing anything for us.”
II. “The death of Elizabeth and the accession of Charles to the throne gave new impetus to the (republican) debate in the region,” he said.
Antigua and Barbuda was the first country to put forward plans to become a republic after the Queen’s death. Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the media he hopes to hold a referendum on the issue within three years.
His Bahamian counterpart, Phillip Davis, said he had similar hopes, though he didn’t give a timeline.
“It’s always on the table for me,” Davis said in comments published by the local Nassau Guardian newspaper the day after the queen’s death. “I will have to hold a referendum and the people of the Bahamas will have to say ‘yes’ to me.”
Jamaica is also considering turning the page, an idea Prime Minister Andrew Holness gave to Prince William during a trip to the Caribbean earlier this year.
The Caribbean islands follow the path of Barbados, which was once known as “Little England” but was used by the Labor Party to pass a majority constitutional amendment last year that ousted the queen as head of state.
“A People’s Decision”
The modern royal referred to what King Charles called the “terrible atrocities” of slavery that “tainted our history forever”.
In Jamaica, Prince William repeated his father’s words, expressing “deep regret” and describing slavery as “abominable”. “This should never have happened,” he said. However, no official apology has been made so far.
Republican bias seems strongest in Caribbean countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom.
For those staying overseas – Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat and further north, Bermuda – Queen II. There are few signs that Elizabeth’s death will lead to her quest for independence. , says Quinn.
Former Bermuda prime minister Sir John Swan, who resigned as leader of his party after the island’s independence was rejected by the majority in a 1995 referendum, told AFP that it was “a decision that must be made by the people, not politicians”. .
“The world is in a very unstable stage right now,” he said, referring to conflicts such as the pandemic, global warming, inflation and the war in Ukraine. “Each country must decide not how they have been treated in the past, but how to face the reality of how things are today.”
source: Noticias
