THE GOVERNMENT of Barbados has announced that November 30 will no longer be known as Independence Day – but will now be called Barbados National day. 

Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams made the announcement on Tuesday, which has been met with an outpouring of criticism. 

The feedback from Barbadians prompted Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to defend her Cabinet’s decision.

Ms Mottley said the new celebrations will aim to acknowledge the country’s transition to a Republic as well as commemorating its independence from Britain on November 30, 1966. 

In a statement shared online she said: “I have seen and heard the comments this evening on social media.

“Irrespective of how the Government has felt about this issue last year and the decision we made, there is the reality that there has been confusion as to how the election of the 1st Barbadian Head of State would be celebrated without undermining the significance of Nov 30, 1966.”

Ms Mottley said it is important to pay homage to the two different but significant parts of Barbados’ history.

She continued: “It is not either one or the other.

“Both are milestones in our journey.  And as a 56-year-old country we must act with our minds focused on the future.

“Barbados National Day on November 30th allows us to celebrate both the attainment of Independence and the attainment of becoming a Parliamentary Republic with a native Barbadian as President.

“The fact is our Independence from Britain is not being rewritten from our history. We can allay the fears of those who are concerned about that. But equally we have to celebrate the election of our 1st President.

“We expect that some will continue to refer to both events as the day but for the avoidance of doubt we settle on an overall rubric that encompasses both events.

“And that is why we have settled on BARBADOS NATIONAL DAY – to celebrate 2 significant events in the life and journey of the sovereign State.”

Last year, Barbados became the world’s newest Republic after cutting ties with the British Monarchy, and Ms Mottley wants the nation to focus on the future of the Caribbean country.

She added: “Let us focus on what we must do as a nation to be the best that we can be. It involves building on the past but focusing on the future.”

In 2020, Ms Mottley said Barbadians wanted a Barbadian head of state and said “the time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind”.