By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

WITH Barbados set to remove the British monarchy as its head of state later this year, opinion seems to be split about whether The Bahamas should follow.

Anglican priest Father Sebastian Campbell said it is “a farce” for The Bahamas to think it is fully independent as long as it continues to hold on to the monarchy as its head of state.

“The monarchy should have been abolished a long time ago,” Father Campbell said when contacted by The Tribune.

“We are dragging our feet. I don’t know how come Barbados is leading us in this. We are not fully independent. That is a farce. Independent countries should not be swearing allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.”

“Barbados will stop that. At least other countries are talking about it.

“We should be trying to separate ourselves even more now from the monarchy. We continue to support a system that is totally dysfunctional. A system that is marked with a lot of ills and we continued to hold on to it. The colonial system gave birth to slavery and lasted for 300 years.”

The issue of the monarchy’s role in former British colonies has grabbed renewed attention after the bombshell interview Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, gave to American television personality Oprah Winfrey.

In the tell-all interview that aired on Sunday, Ms Markle said she contemplated suicide as a senior royal while pregnant with her son Archie. She claimed officials in “the institution” of the monarchy did not help when she sought assistance. Ms Markle, who is biracial, also felt the Royal Family and the institution—officials who run the palace—did not protect her from what she and her husband saw as racist attacks from Britain’s tabloid press.

She and Prince Harry also disclosed that while she was pregnant with her first child, one Royal Family member had “concerns and conversations about how dark” Archie’s skin would be. Prince Harry later clarified that these remarks were not made by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth nor his grandfather, Prince Phillip.

Ms Markle also suggested Archie was not given a royal title due to his racial heritage.

In a statement released this week, Queen Elizabeth said the issues on race raised by Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are “concerning”. She said while “some recollections may vary,” they are taken seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

Meanwhile, Fr Campbell said the colonial style of governance that we currently practice is the worst form of mind enslavement. He thanked Prince Harry and his wife for pulling the veil back on the institution.

Fr Campbell continued: “The ugly side of it has always been there but thank God for Harry and Meghan’s story which is really bringing it to light. They are still bogged down with racism. That comes out so clearly and we continue to worship this thing (the monarchy).

“Mia Mottley and Barbados is a good example to follow. She is mentally liberated and has been pushing for this for a long time from when she was minister of culture. When we have such a mindset at the top, it makes a big difference. We look forward to future leadership who would really and truly continue to run with this.”

The Tribune asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield for his view.

He responded, “Sorry, no comment at the moment.”

For his part, chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, Senator Fred Mitchell said although his party has no real policy on the monarchy, he personally feels it should be done away with. He is disappointed that this current generation is not anti-monarchist.

Senator Mitchell said: “There is no policy by the PLP on the abolition of the monarchy. I and others like Alfred Sears, QC, have long said the monarchy is a quaint anarchism that should fall away. I have personally led the discussion on this matter for over three decades and it is a tiresome subject to me now. As Michael Manley used to say ‘it’s impatient of debate.’

“I have wondered what philosophical issue would engage this generation beyond idle gossip on social media. I had hoped by now that someone from this generation would have been inspired to adopt the anti-monarchist cause but alas—and this is a typical old man’s lament—I fear it does not ignite the more noble minds of my successors. I continue to urge them to adopt the idea. I will continue to lobby for its adoption.”

Unlike Senator Mitchell, former FNM Free National Movement Cabinet minister Maurice Moore feels the relationship with the British has its benefits.

Mr Moore said, “As far as I am concerned I don’t think we should move away from the monarchy. There must be some benefits, not a whole lot, to the relationship. It is a positive. I think it will help us more than hurt us at this stage. I don’t think us cutting Britain loose will be of any help. We should keep that relationship.”

Maurice Tynes, former clerk of the House of Assembly, said approval was given to Barbados a long time ago to have its own head of state.

“My opinion is that I thought we ought to have made the step to separate ourselves from the monarchy a long time ago,” Mr Tynes told The Tribune. “Just for people’s dignity I thought we ought to go with the evolution of our democracy. It’s the next step. This is something that we ought to have done a long time ago.

“Barbados passed the law almost 20 years ago for permission for them to change the constitution, but they didn’t do it all at once. They are doing it in stages. So that approval was given years ago to make that move.”

By November, Barbados will remove the monarchy as its head of state coinciding with that Caribbean island’s 55th anniversary of independence. It is the just the latest country in the region to make inroads to become a republic. In 1970, Guyana cut ties with the Queen as its head of state, followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976, and Dominica in 1978.

Like the countries it follows, Barbados will remain a part of the Commonwealth.

The Queen’s role as head of state is largely considered to be ceremonial, however she is represented by a Governor-General who carries out duties on her behalf.