Republic on November 30 won’t ‘dilute’ Barrow – Greenidge

The transition to a republic on November 30 does not mean that the Mottley administration is trying to upstage the contribution by Barbados’ Father of Independence, Errol Barrow, Deputy President of the Senate Rudolph Greenidge said Wednesday.

The move does not mean Barbados is leaving the Commonwealth, that visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom will suffer or that the Barbados dollar will be devalued, he told Senate lawmakers.

He addressed some of these concerns as he spoke on the debate on amendments to the Barbados Constitution to create a republic.

He first addressed the concern raised by Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn that the current Constitution was drawn up by the British Government as part of the Independence Order of 1966 and cannot be altered since it is an Act of the British Parliament.

But Senator Greenidge explained: “That constitution has served us well, as we have amended it where necessary and we actually have what is considered one of the best constitutions in the world.

“Section 5 of the Barbados Independence Act says that the Barbados legislature can alter provisions in the Independence Order and can revoke it as well. The Constitution is a document that can stand on its own without having the Independence Order in place.”

With regard to the contributions of National Hero the Right Excellent Errol Barrow who led the island to independence after 339 years of unbroken British colonial rule, Senator Greenidge said: “November 30 will still be Independence Day; we will not be calling it both Independence Day and Republic Day. This bill does not dilute the contribution Barrow made to Barbados; it actually amplifies it.”

He continued: “Barbados will still be part of the Commonwealth, and in fact of the 54 countries in that body, at least 30 of them are republics, and our transition to republican status will not affect our visitor arrivals from the UK, because in all honesty, British visitors do not come here to see the Governor General; in fact, they don’t even think about whether or not Barbados is a republic.

“And there is no evidence to suggest that Barbados’ dollar will be devalued either, as some critics have stated.”

In noting that oaths of allegiance taken by Members of Parliament and other officials will be changed to reflect allegiance to Barbados rather than to the Queen and her heirs, Senator Greenidge said: “This might have been okay when we were a colony as it says who is in charge and whose dictates you must follow.

“In all honesty, we have been a ship at anchor; that oath should have been changed shortly after independence and in all honesty, both parties are guilty of waiting too long to become a republic.

“We should really have done it around 1975, but kudos to the current Prime Minister for the business-like approach she has taken in ensuring that it will come to pass.” (DH)