Little England, known as Barbados, has been considering forming its own republic since the 1970s, when a commission was set up to look into the possibility. At the time, the commission concluded there was not enough public support, but the idea continued to grow.
It re-emerged in the late 1990s, when another commission recommended that Barbados become a parliamentary republic. In 2005, the country passed a law to hold a referendum on the issue, although it never took place. In 2015, the then Prime Minister, Frandel Stewart, set a goal to establish a republic to coincide with the 50th anniversary of independence.
Ms. Motley said nothing about holding a referendum, thwarting several republican movements pushing the vote forward. Experts said they have orders to move the change forward without possibly any one. Her Barbados Labor Party won all 30 seats in parliament in the 2018 election, making her the country’s first woman prime minister as well as the country’s undisputed leader.
The government also announced plans to legalize gay civil society organizations, although it would put it to a referendum.
In Jamaica, the republican movement has been gaining momentum for years. In 2012, former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said it was time for the Queen to step down as head of state. His successor, Andrew Hollen, made similar comments in 2016, although a referendum would not be possible soon given the country’s need to recover from the coronavirus epidemic.
For all historical symbolism, the response to the proclamation was muted in Barbados. On social media, people have noticed that the country already has its own queen – the five star Rihanna, who is from Barbados.
