By Staff Writer
December 11, 2020
Barbadian opposition party leader wants more information from the government on removing the Queen as the head of state.
Verla DePeiza, president of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), speaking to Caribbean Magazine Plus, told us that: “Both administrations over time have flirted with the concept of a republic. This definitive statement in the Throne Speech seems like progress, until you consider that no thought has been shared on the form of the republic.”
The Mia Mottley Barbados Labour Party (BLP) government wants to move Barbados away into full independence by removing the Queen as the head of state. The speech from the throne, read by the governor general of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason, quoted her as saying that the sitting Mottley Government wishes to “leave our colonial past behind,” and “This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving.” The speech was reportedly written by Prime Minister Mottley to be read by Dame Mason from the speech from the throne proceedings.
Ms DePeiza said however, “Do Barbadians want a simple replacement of a figurehead, or is this time for radical constitutional change to be discussed and implemented?” Questioning the democratic process that she wishes to be followed during this process, she added: “Will we even be given a voice in the process? This present administration came to office on promises of transparency and consultation and the Democratic Labour Party intends to hold them to their word.”
The idea of moving Barbados into full independence is not new as some reports from the United Kingdom have claimed. Going further, Errol Barrow, Barbados’s first prime minister, had called for the same years ago after the country gained independence in November of 1966, as Dame Mason’s speech quoted a portion of his comments as saying that the country should not “loiter on colonial premises”.
Ms DePeiza also said: “Most leaders consider their legacy, and this definitely is a legacy move, especially in the face of major economic slide. I will not go so far as to call it a smokescreen, but it is definitely a diversion. And this will be the case particularly if we go through this exercise merely to rename a figurehead president.”
“An additional consideration is the popularity of the present Governor General. Going through this transition will be that much smoother were Dame Sandra Mason retained and given the honour of becoming the first President, if we go the route of mere title change.”
Nothing else has been enunciated by Ms Mottley since the speech from the throne was delivered back in September.
Whether Ms Mottley will respond to the opposition’s concerns when the DLP does not have a seat in parliament after Mottley’s party won a landslide victory in 2018, remains to be seen. We understand Barbados to be a fair and stable democratic country in the region and their cultural makeup is not one of violence or oppression of political opponents.