The next time a government is sworn in Barbados we shall not hear these words which irritated some of us back in 2018:
I,…….,do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Her Heirs and Successors, according to law. So help me God.
To all intents and purposes, Barbados’ transition to republic status on 30 November 2021 signals the ultimate extension of its sovereignty. By ditching the British monarchy, the government of Barbados proclaimed to the world that it had reached the ultimate level of independence in this world of 251 (according to the United Nations) states.
Sovereignty, more precisely “political sovereignty”, means total political independence, total political autonomy. In strict terms, it means recognizing no other external, human sovereign authority over this country.
The word “authority” is a pivotal term in understanding the nature of political sovereignty, our independence and now our fledgling republic.
“Authority” means the right to do something or use resources. It differs from “power” which is the ability – physical or otherwise – to do something. You may have developed the ability to drive a vehicle but if you attempt to do so on the public road without the authority of a BLA license, you will soon thereafter have an appointment with the law.
The term “control” is often used as a synonym for authority. To avoid any academic hair-splitting on this, we shall use it in this manner where appropriate in this article.
Constitution and Authority
The constitution of a country is the ultimate authority of a country. It is actually a piece of binding law that sets out, among other things, who has authority over what, to what extent and for how long as well as how all other laws existing or to be passed in the future, must be framed and relate to each other and to the constitution of itself.
Since 30 November, 1966 the Queen and the British Crown had “no effective control” of the affairs of this country. By “no effective control” we mean that she could no longer send out a Governor to rule over this land or make laws about property or education or determine our national budget or force us to sing God Save the Queen. That is easily understood.
But since her title is written in the 1966 constitution of Barbados, of necessity we had to do some things not quite consistent with being a “fully independent” country. Chief among them was the appointment of a Governor-General who, although he or she was selected by us (meaning our government), had to be “approved” by the Queen.
In effect, the GG was replacement for the Governor who was appointed and sent out to the British colonies by the Queen prior to countries becoming independent.
The same reasoning applies to our Budgetary Proposal and Financial Statement which always has to be presented to the Governor General for “approval”. In the UK, the parallel is the preparation of a similar statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer for “approval” by the Queen.
Amendment Imperative
Since the constitution of a country is the ultimate authority of a country, the Government has had to remove all direct and indirect references to the “Queen”, the “Crown” etc. and replace them with “President”, “State” etc. respectively. This was achieved by the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2021 which was passed in both houses of parliament on 6 October, 2021.
All authority is now both legally and ceremonially wrested from the hands of the British monarchy and are now 100% Bajan! So the next time a government is sworn in Barbados, we shall not hear those oaths which incensed some of us back in 2018. Instead we shall hear the following 100% Bajan oaths that appear in the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2021 on page 33.
Click here to see an official document making the rounds to all government agencies and departments regarding name changes to the Office of Head of State.
Bringing Up Grenville
Since no self-respecting Barbadian would want to be cheated out of the pride of hearing these 100% Bajan oaths our republican constitution now affords, we must be doubly sure that the current government did not make a mistake in pursuing the path it took to republic-hood. That would be a huge national embarrassment, to say the least.
For this reason, we have committed to reviewing the challenge made to the change to a republic by Mr. Grenville Phillips. As you probably know by now, the Supreme Court rejected Mr. Phillips’ challenge.
We have nothing to lose – except time – by engaging in such a review exercise. Indeed, we can profit from an enhanced understanding of the workings of the law given that we are postured as a “law-abiding country”.
On the other hand, Mr. Phillips, who proposes to appeal the Supreme Court’s ruling, will only do our flagging economy good by topping up the Treasury once again if he loses.
To see the Supreme Court’s ruling click here
Epilogue
Some people got a little carried away in thinking that becoming a republic meant taking leave of the God whom our forefathers had come to recognize as their sustenance throughout the hard, bitter days of slavery and the post-colonial period.
Hopefully such persons now understand that such thinking is not only an exercise in futility but is eminently foolhardy. At the same time, we agree that we still have a very long way to go in making this a just, fair and prosperous society. But the irony is that that is exactly what the God of our forefathers wants for us!
No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NLT
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 BSB
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Dr. Aldon D. Tull, the author, is a retired educator who holds a Master of Science in International Marketing and the Doctor of Education.
He can be reached at editor@barbadosuncensored.com at 246-228-3720 or on Whatsapp at 246-846-3191
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