As Barbados prepares to ditch the Queen as its Head of State and become a republic, a prominent political scientist is predicting that Prime Minister Mia Mottley will follow the Trinidad and Tobago model.
What’s more, Peter Wickham has shot down any idea of the Barbados Labour Party administration holding a referendum on the matter, saying that to do so would be a “mistake”.
“There is no need to and I don’t think it makes a lot of sense. We had a situation where since 1999 this [political party] indicated its desire to go in the direction of a republic. The Opposition has always supported it . . . . So, I think there is enough cohesion in that regard to go with it,” he said.
“To go to a referendum, in my opinion, would be a mistake. The reality is that all the referenda in the Caribbean in recent times have failed . . . and the failure has to do with the fact that a referendum presents an opposition and an opportunity to oppose.”
Wickham, who was speaking late Wednesday evening as a panellist on Times Radio in the UK, said the general unwillingness for countries in the region to move to a republic had nothing to do with the love of the British monarchy.
And he said that despite several administrations in Barbados having broached the subject in the past, he believed it would become a reality this time around.
In fact, he said with Barbados’ “fairly easy Constitution to change”, making the switch from a monarchical system to a republic would be easy.
“I think we have great respect for the institution [monarchy]. Certainly, we have great respect for the Queen. But I think it is about a self-fulfilment of Barbadians and I think many of us feel it is time we go into a different direction, and this Prime Minister has the intestinal fortitude to do it,” said the political pollster.
Pointing to other countries in the region where referenda on becoming a republic had failed – including St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda – Wickham said in some cases the move had been opposed “even though there were good reasons to support it”.
Almost immediately following the Throne Speech on Tuesday, in which Governor General Dame Sandra Mason made the announcement that Barbados would become a republican state by November 2021, there was speculation that the decision here could have a domino effect in the region, with Jamaica likely following next.
However, Wickham said in the case of that Caribbean island, while there was a will to go that route, it would be more difficult because of a “constitutional bind”.
“I would be surprised if Jamaica does ever get to a republic, simply because Jamaica has to get a referendum in which two-thirds of the people have to say that is what they want,” he said, adding that if Jamaica’s Constitution did not even allow the country to remove the UK Privy Council as its highest court of appeal, he could not see how it would go the direction of a republic.
Wickham contended that Barbados could have made the switch “a long time ago” but there had been an absence of political will.
However, he said he strongly believed that Prime Minister Mottley would not let this opportunity pass her.
“I think the critical thing now is that we have a leader who is anxious to distinguish herself in a fairly significant way, and as it stands now there are really not a lot of options out there to distinguish oneself. So, I think yes, we are going to become a republic. The question is what type of republic,” said Wickham.
“My sense is that we will have to go the road of Trinidad and Tobago or Dominica – that’s a Commonwealth – where we have a president that is selected, either selected directly by the Prime Minister or alternatively elected by an electoral college within Parliament, which is what Trinidad and Tobago has done.
“That is the easiest route to go within the short space of time, and my sense is that we will do that as a first step and then later we start a conversation about the other mechanics of how it can go. But that is the direction we are likely to go,” added the political scientist.
In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, the president is elected by a two-thirds majority in an electoral college, meaning that both the Lower House and Upper House meet and vote.
In Dominica, the president is selected by the prime minister and given a contract of employment, similar to how a Governor General is selected.
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Despite the BLP having successfully campaigned on making Barbados a Republic Wickham acknowledges that the existing Barbados constitution easily allows it and has never limited Barbadians from being masters of their own house. He claims there has only been a lack of political will but appears contemptuous toward any referendum on the issue, referring to the idea as a mistake purely on the grounds that that democratic exercise could provide forum for opposing views that could empower Barbadians to sign off on what the ruling politicians might do to create a new constitution, which is a big deal for any self governing supposedly democratic free people. How does this help the confidence of young people when democratic values for major live governance decisions must take there cue from years old internal discussions of former governments and old agendas that now are to be sparred having to show relevance today simply because the people might have further say as Barbados might choose to reinvent itself confidently in an involved transparent fashion, rather than dictated committee fashion by only appointed types? Where is the demonstrated belief in the Barbados people and encouragement to be really involved in the specifics of perhaps evolving governance? I hope it works out and democracy is strengthened.
is democracy only practical when one opposes something but when one agrees it is unnecessary
I may be very very wrong but I’m really sad that people are looking to symbolism as a solution for the country’s problems. It was very easy to get rid of the previous administration who most people think were clueless and incompetent yet what we have is not enough. We got them out and stop a hole but many of the problems remain. How is Barbados going to seriously earn foreign exchange to prevent another financial crises in the next 20 years? How are we going to make better decisions through a republic if we can’t even make a simple decision to fix the roads that actually need fixing first and repave the roads that were good? How are were going to lure and continue to lure the Brits and Europeans to our destinations if we remove all connections to history? I’m sure it really doesn’t matter in the end as people go where they want when they can once they can afford it and I’m sure Trinidad, Guyana and the whole lot receive tons of European visitors but I personally never heard any Brit saying “I want to go to Trinidad or Guyana” but I’ve heard I want to go to St. Lucia, Jamaica and of course they know about Barbados. Since Independence and the beginning of our breakaway, the Sugar Industry began its steady decline to virtual non-existence. We did it ourselves and the price became expensive, the Brits found an alternative and it was the beginning of the end. Good luck to us….it took about 30 years for us to wake up and see what was really happening and it will probably take another 30 to 40 years to see what the effects of the Republic would be and be then I’d be dead or too Old to really really care.
There should be a referendum on this . People should have a say about whether they want this or not. Will it devalue the Barbados dollar or will it remain the same.
Goodmoring i feel it time Barbados go forward it not that we don’t want the Queen but we got to do it okay
In a post Covid world where we have less planes at our disposal clearly an event such as this is going to have an impact on the flight services we are able to offer. A reduction in services and possibly entire cancellation in the direct London to Barbados route is inevitably under consideration