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Vol. 32, Issue 49 BROOKLYN EDITION December 3-9, 2021
By Bert Wilkinson
Just two days after Barbados
dumped Britain’s Queen
Elizabeth as its head of state,
replaced her with native born
former Governor General in
President Sandra Mason and
became the world’s newest
republic, authorities in several
Caribbean Community countries
are either being forced to
explain delays for not taking
similar action or facing calls
to do likewise.
The 166-square mile island
of about 300,000 people ended
more than 300 years of a system
in which the British monarch
was its head of state,
allowing state institutions to
carry names like her majesty’s
prison service and the Royal
Barbadian Police Force among
others.
Prosecutors worked in the
name of the British crown,
but all these will now disappear
now that Barbados has
joined Guyana, Trinidad and
Dominica as CARICOM countries,
which are republics and
have their own executive or
ceremonial presidents. Mason
will be a ceremonial president
like the others, except Guyana
whose head of state occupies
executive office.
As the euphoria recedes and
as Barbadians come to grips
with its new status among
regional neighbors, there have
been spirited discussions in
Jamaica, St. Lucia and Antigua
about why nothing much
has been done to remove what
many believe or regard as the
last vestige of British colonialism.
In Jamaica, opposition lawmaker
Fitz Jackson raised
the issue in parliament on
Tuesday, forcing a calm and
civilized response from acting
House Leader and Culture
Minister, Olivia Grange, as he
questioned what after decades
of independence nothing had
been done to break the shackles
of the colonial era.
“We are now approaching
60 years and are still lacking
in the courage to do what they
have done. I believe it’s high
time. Let us use this turning
point for our sister nation as a
catalyst to formally shed ourselves
of that vestige of colonialism,”
said the MP for rural
St. Catherine.
Forced to answer, Grange
said the issue is being “actively
Barbados’ new President Sandra Mason and singer Rihanna stand during the Presidential
Inauguration Ceremony to mark the birth of a new republic in Barbados,
Bridgetown, Barbados, Nov. 30, 2021. See story on Page 6 REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool
Continued on Page 12
Rihanna now national hero
CALLS
TO GO
REPUBLIC
CARICOM countries under
pressure to follow Barbados
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