Little Barbados made its transition to a republic official last Monday, in a ceremony that crossed midnight. The lowering of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal pavilion was the culmination of a process that began in 2018. In addition to aspects particular to Barbados, the island’s transition from a monarchy to a republic is part of a larger phenomenon that will gain more and more strength In the next years.
First, a brief contextualization and conceptualization. Barbados became a British colonial possession in 1625 and, in 1966, became independent as a Commonwealth Kingdom. They are independent countries, with their own parliament, in a union of crowns with the British monarch. In this case, Queen Elizabeth II. Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the best known Commonwealth Kingdoms.
Today there are 15 Commonwealth Kingdoms and these independent countries have the monarch as symbolic Head of State. She, in turn, “accumulates crowns”, with her title varying according to location. Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen of Australia, Queen of Jamaica, etc. In everyday life, however, the head of state in each country is exercised by the Governor General, a person appointed by the country and approved by the monarchy.
Last October, for example, Cindy Kiro became the first Maori woman to be sworn in as Governor General of New Zealand. It might get a little confusing, as she’s not exactly the New Zealand Head of State, she’s exercising that role on behalf of the Queen. Considering that it has been 20 years since the last royal visit to New Zealand, in practice it is as if the Governor General were the Head of State.
Commonwealth of Nations
Another possible source of confusion is the Commonwealth of Nations, a political and cultural association between 54 countries, almost all former members of the British colonial empire. Among these 54 countries are the 15 in which Elizabeth II is the monarch, countries like Brunei, a monarchy with another monarch, Pakistan, a country that had Elizabeth II as monarch and became a republic, and India, which became a republic before the current queen.
In short: there are the Commonwealth Kingdoms, united by crowns with the United Kingdom, but this is not synonymous with the Commonwealth of Nations, a larger and more diverse group of countries, symbolically headed by the monarch. Even so, all countries that integrate both groups are independent, with their own legislatures and armed forces. What varies is the degree of military and economic cooperation with the UK from case to case.
Returning to the case of Barbados, the country had been considering republicanism since its foundation and, in 2018, the local Labor Party won a large victory in the parliamentary elections. Commonwealth realms usually mirror UK politics: a parliament with two major parties, a Labor party more to the left and a Conservative party more to the right, though with names that can vary.
Barbadian Labor are Republicans and, with their electoral victory, promoted a constitutional amendment that, once approved, would transform the country into a republic. Head of State would be exercised by the new office of President of the Republic and the appropriate nomenclatures would be changed. Interestingly, as a constitutional amendment, the law required royal consent, via the Governor General, Sandra Mason.
The same Mason was indirectly elected to be the first president of Barbados and, in that position, she headed last Monday’s ceremony. Now 72, she was the first woman admitted to the Barbados Bar in 1975. In addition to practicing law, she has been a judge, university professor and diplomat, with an outstanding record. She was even her country’s ambassador to Brazil in the 1990s.
Interestingly, Barbados begins its republican trajectory with a female “double” in power, as the prime minister is Mia Mottley. Still, who received the most spotlight at the ceremony was honorary ambassador and now national heroine Rihanna, perhaps the best-known Barbadian citizen in the world. In addition to her music career, she is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, with assets of over US$1.5 billion.
world movements
The Queen was represented by her eldest son and heir to the crown, Charles, and the ceremony also featured a video message from Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which he spoke of “the special bond of the Commonwealth.” Most of the time, the proclamation of the republic of Barbados was treated as something anecdotal, a curiosity, with more emphasis on Rihanna. This movement, however, is very important.
The change in Barbados is related to two larger movements. The first is the growing political and economic rapprochement between developing countries and China. Yes, it seems obvious to say this, but Barbados illustrates this well by being a glaring case. Barbadian history is marked by the enslavement of Africans, brought to the island by the British to exploit sugar cane.
These historical wounds make, politically, the developmentalist and anti-imperialist rhetoric of the Chinese government very pleasant to the ears of several local leaders. In economics, Barbados was one of the first American countries to be part of the New Silk Road program. The two countries have several investment agreements, especially in infrastructure.
For example, the Chinese state-owned construction giant has a local subsidiary, China Construction Barbados. The numbers illustrate this relationship well. In 2005, Barbados exported US$ 200,000 to China and imported a total of US$ 19 million. Today those numbers are 20 and 142 million dollars, respectively. And how does China relate to republicanism in Barbados?
Part of the Republican argument was that ending the monarchic tie with London would give the country more autonomy in its foreign policy, including in a strategic rapprochement with Beijing. The second major movement is that of republicanism in the Commonwealth Kingdoms in general, with the difference that the rapprochement with China “hurried” Barbados, unlike other countries.
Queen Elizabeth II is a figure beloved by most of the kingdoms populations. A kind of “collective grandmother”, who has reigned since the 1950s and whose public functions date back to World War II. Still, she, like all of us, will take a natural course in her life. And, today, she would be succeeded by her son, who is almost her opposite, a figure without much prestige and with the charisma of a tuber.
Australia and New Zealand
In countries like Australia and New Zealand, the monarchy is seen as something distant, an obsolete and redundant institution with the Governor General’s office. In May, when Cindy Kiro was named to the job, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she believed the country would soon be a republic. Polls put a kind of “tie” on the topic in popular opinion.
One theme, however, is less divisive: the vast majority advocate the adoption of a new national flag, without the union jack British and without the use of colonial design. In Australia, where the republican movement dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, support for republicanism is broader in opinion polls. In Canada, on the other hand, the image of the monarchy is very strong.
Interestingly, if the rationale is to choose between a greater partnership with London or with Beijing, this could maintain the ties of the countries of Oceania with the United Kingdom, given the growing antagonism between these countries and China. On the other hand, merely changing the form of government would not nullify other agreements, such as the aforementioned Commonwealth of Nations and the Five Eyes intelligence cooperation.
As far as Australia and New Zealand are concerned, only the future will tell, of course. For now, the matter boils down to the case of Barbados. The country’s apparently smooth transition may even influence the political debate in other countries, whether on China or on the issue of the “break” with London. Rihanna, however, will remain a unique feature of the news about Barbados.
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