Barbados wants to depose the British Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and become a republic, as the government of the Caribbean state has announced. As a former British colony that gained independence in 1966, Barbados has maintained a formal association with the British monarchy.
That should now be the end: „It is time to put our colonial past completely behind us,“ said the Governor General of Barbados, Sandra Mason, in a speech on behalf of the Prime Minister of the country, Mia Mottley.
“Logical step” to sovereignty
“The Barbadians want a head of state from Barbados. That is the ultimate declaration of confidence in who we are and what we can achieve, ”the speech said. „Therefore, Barbados will take the next logical step towards full sovereignty and become a republic when we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence.“ This anniversary will be celebrated next November.
Errol Barrow, Barbados ’first prime minister after independence, was also quoted in the speech as saying that the country should not“ loiter on colonial terrain. “
Barbados would not be the first former British colony in the Caribbean to become a republic. Guyana took this step in 1970, less than four years after gaining independence from Britain. Trinidad and Tobago followed in 1976 and Dominica in 1978. All three remained within the Commonwealth, a loose association of independent states that is considered the successor to the British Empire.
