I talk about the fact that Barbados is deciding to become a full republic by removing the British Monarch as Head of State and having its own Head of State.

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Post author By Charlie February 22, 2021
Barbados is becoming a Republic
theweeklyrambler.com/barbados-is-becoming-a-republic/
Featured Photo: by johnmartindavies from Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source.
Barbados, a small eastern Caribbean island nation that was once part of the British
Empire and is currently part of the Commonwealth Realm will soon be transforming into
a full-on Republic. What this means basically is that the island nation will be leaving the
Commonwealth Realm and doing away with having a Governor-General as
Representative-Head-of-State and will replace that position with an elected President as
Head of State, meaning in extension the British Monarch will no longer be its Head of
State. They will still obviously keep the parliamentary system and will keep the position of
Prime Minister as Head of Government. This means it will become a democratic semi-
presidential parliamentary Republic, rather than a democratic constitutional
parliamentary monarchy.
Countries that have become independent from the British Empire or from being a British
territory, protectorate or dependency may decide to transfer into the Commonwealth
Realm so that the British Monarch remains the Head of State, and represented by a
Governor-General that they appoint, this can help the country on its path to stability after
independence by bringing a degree of experienced support and other benefits while still

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being recognised as independent. There are many formerly British-owned territories and
colonies that are now independent that for a time were a part of the Commonwealth
Realm before becoming a full Republic, and there are a number that have opted to remain
within the Commonwealth Realm, mostly small island nations, but also some big ones
such as Canada and Australia. As of now there are 16 Commonwealth Realm members
including the United Kingdom, soon to drop down to 15 once Barbados transfers to a
republican system.
The Commonwealth Realm itself is a section of the much larger Commonwealth of
Nations which is an international organisation of 54 now independent states many of
which originally were a part of the British Empire or formerly an overseas territory, some
of these states were once part of the Commonwealth Realm but opted to become a full
Republic at some point but often still opt to remain a part of the wider Commonwealth of
Nations for the diplomatic, influential, political and economic benefits it provides. It is
pretty much the remaining legacy of Great Britain and a mechanism that shows such
places now independent won’t simply be dumped into the deep end – unless they of
course wish to be.
The Commonwealth of Nations have also accepted member states who were never under
British rule, the first state that fit this criterion was Mozambique who instead was
formerly ruled by Portugal, which it gained independence from in 1975 and was admitted
into the Commonwealth of Nations in 1995.
Barbados is planning to leave the Commonwealth Realm by November of this year, the
month is particularly symbolic due to it being the 55 year of Barbados’ independence.
Barbados itself is one of the better-off Caribbean nations with a strong populace and
economy which has diversified into tourism and finance, although the pandemic has likely
hit the country’s economy to a degree, but it has been held up elsewhere.
Barbados’ move is not out of the blue as for decades now the country has been considering
removing the British Monarch as Head of State, as a way to move away from its colonial
past, their first Prime Minister Errol Barrow had said not to loiter on colonial premises
and in 1998 a constitutional review commission had also suggested republican status for
the nation.
Other countries that have removed the British Monarch as Head of State have included
but not limited to Guyana, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Ceylon (now called Sri
Lanka), Republic of Ireland, Nigeria and the most recent was Mauritius in 1992 (before I
was even born) so it’s fairly rare. A number within the Commonwealth Realm have
considered it many times but it is also often that more important political matters take
precedence, Jamaica is one such nation that may soon remove the British Monarch as
Head of State as well, Australia came close to doing it in the past.
The system the country will use after transforming into a Republic will probably be one
where these is the President as Head of State and the Prime Minister as Head of
Government, almost every territory that was ruled by Britain and has since become a
th

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Republic use this system. But it is possible that Barbados may decide to abolish the Prime
Ministerial position and instead have a President who is both Head of State and
Government.
I think this is ultimately a good thing, allowing the people of Barbados to elect a Head of
State they know better and who can more effectively represent them in the modern age
and via an individual focus, rather than having a Head of State living overseas in another
country who has various other responsibilities, and who appoints a Governor-General
relatively little known. It brings more democracy and an increased sense of true
independence. Such a personal Head of State can also be more effectively moulded within
the nation’s constitutional system.
So, although it’s likely not many will take much notice of Barbados installing its own Head
of State after removing the British Monarch, it is still historically significant of the
continuing dissolving colonial history of the past, and an inevitable step into the future.
One day, perhaps even after I have departed this world, there shall be no formerly colonial
states left with a British Monarch as Head of State.
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