BARBADOS HAS announced plans to remove Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as the head of state, moving to join Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and Dominica as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries where the head of state is an elected president.

Delivering the traditional Throne speech at the start of a new parliamentary term. Governor General Dame Sandra Mason said the island wants to achieve the new status by November next year.

“Having attained independence over half a century ago, our country can be in no doubt about its capacity for self-governance,” she said, recalling the statement made by the island’s first prime minister, Errol Walton Barrow, who cautioned against loitering on colonial premises.

Relevant

“That warning is as relevant today as it was in 1966. Having attained independence over half a century ago, our country can be in no doubt about its capacity for self-governance. The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind. Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state.

“This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving. Hence, Barbados will take the next logical step toward full sovereignty and become a Republic by the time we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence.”

In 1998, a Barbados constitutional review commission recommended republican status and in 2015, then Prime Minister, Freundel Stuart said his administration would have implemented the recommendation.

A statement from Buckingham Palace on September 16 said: “This is a matter for the government and people of Barbados.”